


Snow Stained Red

by TheGrammarHawk



Series: Verdant Flower, Crimson Wind [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Twins, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fever, Getting Together, Golden Deer Ashe Ubert, Golden Deer Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Golden Deer Sylvain Jose Gautier, Hypothermia, Poison, Post-Time Skip, Seizures, Sick Character, Verdant Flower/Crimson Wind, Worldbuilding, it's my fic so I get to choose claude's parents, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:55:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22056646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGrammarHawk/pseuds/TheGrammarHawk
Summary: Uprising in Itha, Pegasus MoonWhen the joined forces of eagles and deer go on campaign to the northern Kingdom, giant wolves and endless cold combine for less than favorable circumstances.-Updates Daily Until Complete-
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth, Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra, Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Minor or Background Relationship(s), My Unit | Byleth & My Unit | Byleth, My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Series: Verdant Flower, Crimson Wind [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1586869
Comments: 1
Kudos: 42





	1. Wolves on the Horizon

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is complete, but i'mma space out the updates to daily just for the Flow and Suspense  
> -lots of hcs and worldbuilding so if you have questions feel free to ask!  
> -male byleth is older, but female byleth fused with sothis  
> -i have feelings about who i want to be claude's parents so pls don't argue with me over it when it gets to that point you're entitled to your own ideas too!

When word had come that the parts of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus which had not immediately bent their knee to the Empire at the beginning of the war were stirring up more of a rebellion - with a power that rivaled the Alliance’s when they had first clashed the previous month - it had been clear to both Edelgard and her professor that it needed to be stopped before it grew. It was one thing, joining with Claude and his own teacher, but something else entirely to rope Dimitri and whatever of his comrades remained into this plot. In fact, it was Claude himself who had confirmed to Edelgard just how unlikely the task would be.

_ “I will not rest until I have her head! Dedue, kill them all!” _

They couldn’t turn back. Dimitri didn’t understand the strange twins that had become professors quite like the two that stood beside them now. It would take far too much time to repair the wounded hearts of the remaining Blue Lions, so much so that even Byleth would not succeed in such an endeavor.

Edelgard and Claude both knew: both the brother and sister had tried.

While the partnership between the two regions was… tedious at best, sometimes, it was quite a morale booster for the Eagles and Deer that had built friendships among each other five years ago. Even the three students that had left the Kingdom to aid the Alliance had mostly settled into some sort of ease.

Mostly.

“I am having unpleasantness in this chilled water. Is there not warmer robes to be worn?”

“You can share my cloak, Petra! Oh, and if we walk together, we’ll share body heat~!”

“The way the ice shines on the trees is so beautiful… but I’m afraid that even if we had time to appreciate the landscape, it’d be too cold for us to stand it very long…”

“Sylvain and I warned you. Faerghus as a whole is frozen hell, but Itha? Houses Fraldarius and Gautier know more than any other about the cold. Pegasus Moon is the  _ worst,  _ to think that Father and what’s left of the boar’s men would stir something up  _ now  _ shows their desperation. It’d have been better to let them freeze their own asses off, first-”

Felix found himself cut off as Leonie shoved at him, pointing silently ahead to where their leaders all stood. While Edelgard looked relatively unbothered - the travelling from Ailell had been fairly swift, and they had only been wandering outside of warmer civilization for a few hours by now - both Professor Byleth of the Eagles and Teacher Byleth of the Deer looked… incredibly uncomfortable, compared to usual. They could see it in the way his eyes were narrowed, breath coming out more heavily than usual; they could see it in the way she had immediately buried herself against Claude’s side, an extra cape having already been given to her. Perhaps Claude himself seemed a bit daunted by the cold, but at this point everyone in the army knew he wouldn’t exactly admit that, if it meant Byleth insisting he keep himself warm instead of her.

(Hilda had made a betting pool with Sylvain during the ball, five years prior, as to how long it’d take the two to formally get together. Sylvain and many others had been adamant that Byleth had been so obvious in her adoration that everything would be done by graduation. Hilda and her lot had been making quite a bit of money so far with their lack of faith in Claude’s willingness to step forward - especially in Hilda’s specific bet, claiming that ‘the day the two got together would be as likely to happen as the day an Almyran ruled Fódlan!’)

Edelgard stood tensely next to Byleth as a scowling Shamir approached, Seteth and Flayn shortly behind her. Byleth put a hand carefully on his sister’s shoulders when he saw she hardly looked up, frowning just slightly before focusing on the companions from the Church. It was Shamir who broke the silence, shrugging back toward the rest of their soldier friends.

“Edelgard. Claude. Alois, Catherine, and I would like to discuss the supply situation at hand if we are to continue this march. If you will,”

Byleth pulled his sister from Claude’s side to his own as the three moved back among the others, not without noticing the somewhat suspicious gaze that passed between the house leaders as they walked away. Only then did Byleth raise her eyes to glance up at Seteth, tugging her cape around her more tightly.

One cautionary glance over the others was enough to placate whatever dubious concerns were lingering in Seteth’s mind. Voice low, only for the twins, he began.

“As we have discussed before, you are aware of Flayn’s and my own true identities.”

“Yes, Cichol,” Byleth whispered softly, blowing on her fingertips. The saint cast a brief, faintly fond look to the younger twin before continuing.

“Lady Byleth, I informed you before that you needn’t actually speak that name.”

“I believe I have informed  _ you  _ before that regardless of my station of interim Archbishop while we search for Lady Rhea, you needn’t give me any fancy title.”

“That is not -  _ regardless _ , as we have previously discussed, our true nature is… Well. You know the legends. Children of the Goddess… have such an ability. You recall the Immaculate One, as well as… to be frank, we have fought both Saint Indech and Saint Macuil before in their other states.”

“The Lord of the Desert and Lord of the Lake,” Byleth supplied, voice as calm as ever, unflinching. “Dragons, like the Immaculate One, and the goddess Sothis, if her ears were anything to go by.”

“Brother, you needn’t obsess over Sothis’ ears. It’s been years since we’ve last seen her…”

“Once again,  _ regardless _ ,” Seteth interrupted, sigh already at hand, “you said, Lady Byleth, that five years ago you bound your very self with the goddess, causing your transformation. I hope I needn’t explain the natural habits all reptiles, including dragons, in the cold. I’m afraid that if our campaign lasts too long in Itha, Flayn and I will have to withdraw. I must advise the two of you to be careful in terrain like this. I know not how strongly the cold will harm both of you, but it will be at an accelerated rate compared the the once-students and knights you lead. That goes  _ especially  _ for you, Lady Byleth. Doubtless Sothis’ divine power has already taken influence. Perhaps you will never find yourself with a draconic form or, as your brother so delicately pointed out, pointed  _ ears  _ like the goddess. That does not mean you are immune to her hold. Your very soul is hers… and, perhaps, more, if what Lady Rhea has mentioned holds true. It seems reasonable to believe that the more you use Sothis’ gifts, the more this side of you shall be hindered.”

“I understand,” Byleth nodded, turning her eyes up to the gray, cloudy sky for a moment, “we used to do mercenary jobs in Faerghus. The cold didn’t bother me so much, then…”

Sniffling, Flayn gave her own tiny nod, hands held close to her breast. “The winters at Garreg Mach are always very light… I sincerely hope that, wherever our battle is held this time, it is within a fortress and not a forest.”

“It would be nice…” Byleth murmured, taking a deep breath as she turned to observe the group behind them. Edelgard appeared to be diligently listening to whatever explanation the Knights of Seiros were giving her… Claude, not so much. Leaning against one of the horses, feigning interest, his eyes were trained in their direction. Upon meeting her gaze, he gave a weary smile, one that she very much wished to return.

She could not, however, as a spray of snow entered the air between them, obscuring all vision as a shriek rang out.

“Bernadetta!” The elder of the twins immediately grabbed the Sword of the Creator from where it sat on his hip, arm in front of his sister as she shoved her hands into silver gauntlets. The name called was lost to the sound of a horribly loud  _ roar _ and heavy thuds.

“Giant wolves - damn, and we can hardly see!”

Regardless of conditions of sight, Byleth immediately threw himself into battle, the glowing blade allowing for him to pull back should it be ready to cut down friend instead of foe. Byleth, on the other hand, stood still, waiting for the beasts to come closer, unable to see far ahead.

Even torches may not have helped, here. The monstrous beasts moved silently in the snow when they weren’t attacking, and the first hint Byleth had of a new one approaching was the hot breath billowing over her head.

The second was the flaming red arrow shot into the brain of the creature, killing it in one shot.

“ _ C’mon! _ ”

Hand seized by another far larger, Byleth was suddenly running into the snowy fray with the faint crimson and gold light of Failnaught showing the way.

“You can’t stand still like this, Teach! Look for the other Relics, if we can all see, we’ve got a chance!”

True to his words, it was easy to see the Sword of the Creator’s whip-like blade snapping out, Aymr close by. Thunderbrand, Blutgang, Thyrsus, Freikugel, and the Lance of Ruin - the Aegis Shield as well, and others out of sight, all glowed faintly.

“Watch yourself,” Byleth returned, wrenching out of his grasp to drag her own metal claws down the flank of one of the giant wolves. The horrid creature let out a deafening whine as she wore through one of its multiple lives, the beast not even getting a chance to counter before two distinct bursts of magic fried the fur near her. She recognized Marianne’s Nosferatu easily, but was surprised to see the dark figure of Hubert lurking as well. Killing a wolf for her instead of seeking his liege? He had either become kinder, or couldn’t make out who she was in the fight.

Not that Edelgard needed assistance. Standing firmly in one position, Aymr a beacon for Byleth to run toward, any foul monster that headed her way regretted its decision for mere seconds before it fell. Byleth with the Sword of the Creator at her back was a plus, keeping her from any sneak attacks, if the wolves had the brains for such. Things were going fine. It would be an easy fight.

It  _ should _ have been an easy fight.

Nothing ever did go right for them.

All it took was a single torch and an attacked barrel of ale. One monster had strayed too far towards the supply caravan, and while Raphael had assumed fire would ward the beast off, he had not taken into account the broken alcohol container.

A roar of fire and beast as one filled the air and before long, the vicious animals that had attacked them began to stampede, bowling over warriors left and right as one by one, they caught each other on fire. When Edelgard made the executive decision to run, Byleth had been one step behind her.

His younger sister, however, was not so lucky. Immediately trampled by a panicked wolf, she tried to quickly regain her footing and run, just as others were doing. Climb a tree, get out of the way,  _ something  _ to not get killed by the mad, overgrown canines. The second she hit the snow, however…

“By -  _ Teach _ , now’s  _ not  _ the time for a nap!”

Gripped by the upper arm, shaking head to toe from the cold, Byleth found herself upright and running to some unknown place, clumps of snow and ice in her hair preventing proper vision. Dazed and mildly confused, Byleth only realized that it was, once again, Claude that had grabbed her by the frantic “ _ Shit! _ ” that came from him in the next moment.

The moment in which he practically tackled her to the ground, sending both of them rolling in the snow, smacking off the trunk of a tree as the giant wolves ran at them, fleeing. Tucked tightly against Claude, Byleth froze in place on the ground as heavy steps landed on either side of their lumped position. By the time it was over, they had been dragged a ways away from where they had started, cold and wet, but miraculously not stepped on.

_ The goddess’ protection _ , a voice that sounded far too like Rhea echoed through her mind. Yes, of course. Because of Sothis, they were safe. Maybe next time, Sothis would not let the giant wolves find them  _ altogether. _

“Are you okay?”

Claude didn’t know whether to laugh or groan at the quiet little question that emerged from the woman under him, settling for some mix of both. “Yeah, yeah, of course I am, Teach. Hope I didn’t crush you whe-”

A loud  _ crack _ sounded, effectively silencing the duke. Byleth struggled against Claude’s hold, not at all liking the way he had paled dramatically, but she couldn’t fight against his far tighter hold on her when he forced her further against his chest, arms leaving the ground where they had been holding his weight to wrap around her.

She never got the opportunity to see the tree beside them snap as half burned and withered from the flaming fur brushing past it.


	2. One Arrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when things go from bad... to worse.

Edelgard had been quite adamant on remaining on the ground, whether or not Byleth was willing to help her up into a tree, out of reach for the giant wolves. Even so, they had run quite a distance, so much so that the howls were far from their ears.

“We ought to try and find our way back soon.” Byleth offered a nod to Edelgard’s statement, not needing words for her.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed, but as the two made their way back they found it… more and more difficult to tell where they were going. Their oldest footprints had, by now, been covered and otherwise hidden by snow, but it didn’t seem to deter Edelgard in the slightest.

That is, until the harsh smell of smoke and burning flesh wafted around them.

“I don’t see the animals of our forces, Professor, and the beasts are long gone. Unless something is still actively burning, the smells wouldn’t have remained so long.”

Slow, cautious, the two continued their march until the source of the smoke became quite clear: a small section of overturned, heavy pines, all of which were smoldering.

“The giant wolves must have run through here… we’re likely further than we wish from where the fight began. It wouldn’t do to linger.”

Yet, when the Emperor turned, Byleth did not. Green eyes staring critically at the scene, he instead moved closer.

“Professor?”

Something felt _wrong,_ and he wasn’t about to consider leaving such a strong gut feeling unchecked. Perhaps Hubert had gone looking for Edelgard and had been too focused to see the danger? Or, instead, maybe Ferdinand or Caspar had simply been unlucky.

Or…

“Byleth.”

Holding up a hand to let Edelgard know he _was_ listening, he stepped toward the closest fallen tree. It had clearly put itself out when it fell in the snow, leaving an unpleasant, ashy smell in its wake. But it was _here_ that the other scents lingered, of things burned other than wood, such as leather, hair, skin-

A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he turned to see Edelgard’s serious violet eyes. In her hand, held out to him, was something familiar.

A small silver gauntlet. The only member of their army with small enough hands to use it and a penchant for brawling was-

Panic crawled up his throat, the only thing making it out a single word.

“ _Shit_.”

Without any further hesitation, he whipped the Sword of the Creator back, snapping it forward to wrap around the heavy tree. One _heft_ and it had been cleared, revealing-

A burned, yellow cloak.

There was no need to speak between the two as Edelgard rushed to join Byleth to figure what had happened, the man kneeling down immediately and trying to turn over the person who _had_ to be Claude. It was harder than expected, however, until Edelgard gave a pointed observation.

“Byleth, you’ve got to unlock his fingers. He’s holding tightly onto whatever’s beneath him.”

He knew, he _knew_ , that she wanted to be kind, perhaps, and allow him to assume it was Failnaught or the like. They both knew better by now.

It had taken a minute, carefully prying the two away from each other, but as soon as it was accomplished Byleth scooped his sister up to him. Breathing? Check. Not too cold, either, likely due to her warm blanket of a person.

In fact, as soon as he had shifted her up, she stirred.

“I… what…?”

Finally, he could breathe. Her matching eyes slowly blinked to look at his own, staring in a hazy confusion as she tried to piece together what happened.

“Brother…? But…”

He could tell just by her voice that she wanted to say how sleepy she was, and that was more than alarming. He didn’t trust Seteth like she did, but he wasn’t an idiot, either. Hearing her huff at his stern, scared look was enough to tell him that she understood. With a weak stretch, she sat up on her own, pawing the clumps of snow from her hair. Alert, now, she realized what was strange.

“Wait, where’s - Claude?”

Her brother allowed her to scramble up and away from him, going to Edelgard’s side. The Emperor raised an eyebrow upon Byleth’s blank stare, gesturing briefly to the unconscious man.

“I figured it’d be kinder to allow you to do the honors, Teacher. You wield a gentler hand than my own-”

A resounding _smack_ filled the air, accompanied by a short jerk and gasp. Amused, Edelgard glanced back at her own professor, and while his own expression had not changed, she could understand he shared her amusement. Byleth, on the other hand, was busy pulling him up to sit, big eyes filled with concern.

She was neither surprised nor entertained when the first thing Claude did was give her a look up and down before smiling, relief palpable.

“Good, you’re not hurt, then. That’s success enough for me.”

“We’ve gotten separated from the others, Claude. Be glad that Professor and I found you both. Trapped between burning wood and snow? With the smoke inhalation and imminent frostbite, you both would’ve been doomed.”

“Cheerful, aren’t ya? Let’s go and find the rest then, your majesty.”

Biting back a scowl, Edelgard stood with the rest of them, glancing about the area. “Failnaught’s there,” she pointed, “as well as Byleth’s other gauntlet. We can make our way back, now. Hopefully others have started to do the same.”

Easier said than done. The day had been near completion when the giant wolves had attacked, having left the last village several hours before to marching through the woods. An unknown time had passed since then, but the darkness was becoming overwhelming for the four with only their Relics to guide them.

“What was the state of supplies? Shamir seemed diligent in wanting your attention.”

Before Edelgard could respond, Claude took over the conversation. “Same old, same old. Just enough to get us through the battle and back, so long as people didn’t steal rations. I think that was directed at our own troops, Teach. Raphael in particular. Honestly, I think it was just a ruse so that Seteth could have a word in private with the two of you.”

“He doesn’t know that you two know who he is, and he’s far too anxious to realize more and more of us are figuring it out. If Hanneman could think outside of the crest alone for more than a few seconds, he’d have figured it out ages ago. It’s not his fault that he and Flayn don’t always have matching stories… and that Flayn is a bit overzealous about her true nature.”

“Still, he must have had something important to say,” Edelgard eyed the Golden Deer professor, “he’s been far more quiet than usual. Usually he’s ready and armed with whatever unnecessary opinion he has on our fight.”

Byleth was aware of her brother’s eyes on her, but she steeled herself with the resolve she needed to confess. It would do no good to hide this, not from these two of all people.

“The Children of the Goddess… and the goddess herself, they’re all… they have the ability to become dragons, like the draconic, monstrous versions of the others saints we’ve fought. Similar to the Immaculate One. Seteth still won’t tell us what he knows of our past, but… at least, since I’ve welcomed Sothis into my soul, he’s concerned that, like him and Flayn, we will… hibernate. Like a lizard.”

“You mean like you and your brother went through following the invasion of Garreg Mach?” A simple nod was enough to satisfy Edelgard’s question.

“Well then. We ought avoid that at all costs, should we not know when you’ll likely awaken.”

Hand dragging along the trees as they passed, Claude gave a soft _tch_. “It’s bitter cold as night falls, ain’t it, Teach. If we don’t find the others soon, we may be SOL. That’s shit out of luck, for you, Professor.”

“Not funny,” Byleth chided him softly, peering ahead. Squinting, she gently touched Claude’s arm, pointing in front of them. “Lift Failnaught so I can see. I don’t sense trees, anymore.”

The archer did as told, lifting the Hero’s Relic in order to shine more light for the goddess’ vessel. Sure enough, a little ways ahead the tree line thinned, a shining, frozen lake reflecting the moon out beyond them.

Raising an eyebrow at his sister, his question was easily read from gaze alone. “We could… slide? If the ice is thick enough… the others would have moved closer to a water source, too…”

The four made their way closer, the red shines of their Relics glowing across the ice. With a sigh, Claude ran a hand back through his hair.

“Well, I’m the heaviest. If it can hold me, it’ll be able to hold all of you.”

Careful, practically mimicking the way a woodcock would go about it, Claude pressed the tip of his boot to the lake’s surface. When it did not give, more weight was shifted until he found himself fully supported, not even a hairline crack threatening to take him under.

“That’s that. Now all we’ve gotta do is… propel ourselves across.”

“This is a terrible idea,” Edelgard muttered, apprehensive though she followed the younger noble out on the ice. The younger twin had already tested a slide herself, moving awkwardly, much like a filly attempting to learn to stand. Her brother followed only once Edelgard had started, careful to slide up next to her, a reassuring hand on her bicep.

It was going smoothly. _Fine_. In all fairness, that should’ve alerted the two professors to some dire fate: no plan such as this should have been able to work.

They had nearly reached the center of the lake when things went to hell.

“Gods!” Edelgard cursed, nearly yelping when a sack fell from the sky, smacking against the ice. “What the hell is this?”

Some sort of liquid was spilling out from it, that was all that could be told. It was only when Byleth crouched beside her, staring intently at it, that the faint scent became familiar.

Voice low, gruff from the cold air, he scowled. “Vegetable oil.”

“That doesn’t just fall from the sky,” Claude considered, spooking when Byleth gave a sharp gasp, toppling over where she stood. Shaking her bangs from her face, she watched a similar pouch slide away from her, leaving her slimy from the oil. Lip curled, he looked up to see-

“ _Shit_ ,” hefting Byleth up, Claude himself almost slipped on the oil around them, “someone’s up there. Pegasus knights, falcon knights - they must’ve spotted us thanks to the damn Relics, we’re sitting ducks-!”

A small spot of light appeared far above, Edelgard’s eyes widening with a rare fear as it got closer, closer, _closer_.

“They’re going to burn us _alive_ -!”

The flaming arrow latched itself into the ice a mere few feet away. The last things Byleth knew were the sudden brightness of the inferno, the feeling of fire licking up her hands, arms, legs, the dreadful feeling of the ice cracking open and sending them into the freezing depths.


	3. Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we got some violence in this chapter in particular folks so if that's not your scene you might wanna skip the fight!

Hand dragging along the trees as they passed, Claude gave a soft  _ tch _ . “It’s bitter cold as night falls, ain’t it, Teach. If we don’t find the others soon, we may be SOL. That’s shit out of luck, for you, Professor.”

Byleth jolted forward, anxiety tight in her chest. Immediately, she caught her brother’s gaze, his eyes reflecting the same panic that had just flowed through them. Doubtless her arms were tingling with the remainders of ghost flames, and there was a sudden weight to her bones, tugging her down, but they couldn’t let that happen again, not when both she and her brother could have so easily died without using a Pulse-

“Hey, there’s a lake up ahead. It’s frozen over, bet the others would’ve gone after water, so we should-”

Fingers practically biting into his wrist, Claude paused, looking down at his silent professor as she whipped his wrist in an arc, moving Failnaught to survey the area in full.

Aimless woods to the left. Not ideal, if there were enemies nearby. To the right, a rock formation. It’d mean no enemies could flank them properly, but if they messed up, they’d be between a rock and a hard place quite  _ literally _ .

“Sister.”

Blinking, Byleth realized she must have lost herself in thought for… a minute too long, the way her brother stared at her. That wasn’t good. Usually using a Divine Pulse didn’t get her like this, not since she had inherited Sothis’ power in full…

Realization came like a lightning strike.  _ Seteth was going to kill her. _

“The lake’s out of consideration. This way - keep your weapons low.”

Despite the abrupt order to hide their Relics, she still deftly snatched the Sword of the Creator from her brother, watching him grab a different sword, unbothered. Holding it with both hands, her unnaturally green eyes darted to-and-fro, instincts screaming in alarm yet a fog heavy on her mind.

“Kingdom soldiers are in the area,” Byleth supplied when it seemed his sister had no mind to, “keep quiet.”

He crept up along closer to her, eyeing her with slight concern. When she didn’t look back at him, she gave him a verbal response instead.

“Don’t use it unless one of us dies.”

Not ideal, but if that was her order, he couldn’t find some way to break it. She seemed far less sturdy than before, holding herself with less grace than she had had on the ice…

Claude and Edelgard had noticed, too. No doubt they’d be grilled for what happened when they found peace.

It was without warning that Byleth swung the Creator Sword, neatly slicing a silent arrow in half, a feral instinct lighting her eyes. Claude hardly had time to call “Ambush!” before a swarm of men were upon them.

With a swing of Aymr, Edelgard easily dispatched the first few who dared attempt her death. Claude dismantled those hiding in the trees above, not afraid to kick and headbutt anyone near to him. Byleth remained near Edelgard’s side, quick with his blade and focused on her safety.

Byleth… stood there. The way she felt… it was similar to the dissociation she’d get when Sothis spoke to her and her brother. Everything was dark, and… so, so cold… 

But the sword in her hand was warm, thrumming in her fingers like it had a life of its own. When a Kingdom soldier ran up behind her, it was without thought that she reacted, sharply throwing her elbow into their nose. What were they doing again? Fighting? Another drill…

They didn’t… have battalions, or… more weapons than they could carry. No convoy… or adjuncts… they were completely and utterly surrounded.

_ “By, snap out of it!” _

Blinking, her head shot up, looking forward to see… Claude? Yes, Claude - she zeroed in on his face, confirming his eyes before looking and seeing…

_ Blood _ . Blood, trickling from a split eyebrow, almost getting into his eye. Surely, if her heart could beat, it’d be pounding furiously in the moment.

Giving a harsh yell, she whirled, looking around for the nearest foes.  _ It doesn’t matter _ , a soft voice filled her mind, reassuring her as she struck the whip-like blade out, taking down three enemies at once. Other hand sliding into one of her gauntlets, she tore through the chest of another advancer, snarling inhumanely as she did so.

She could taste blood on her lips. It wasn’t hers.

“ _ Stop _ ,” came a whisper, hoarse, directly in her ear. When had she stopped moving? When had her brother grabbed her by the shoulder? His lip was bleeding, or was that his nose?

“Sister, you can’t let yourself lose like this.” His eyes ached, she could see that enough, hearing the words he wasn’t saying aloud.

_ I know you’re tired, but you can’t give in. Whatever’s wrong, it’ll get better, but stay present. Don’t lose to Sothis. Win with us. _

Her breathing hitched slightly as a small, inaudible whimper hit her throat. Her eyes were wet, but she wouldn’t cry. Not now, for this. How trivial that would be, to spend her limited tears on.

But time still wasn’t flowing right. It still felt clumsy, too slow, too fast at points. It had only been a second since her brother had grabbed her, right? Where was her motor control? She couldn’t just-

_ She couldn’t just let that enemy bring his blade down on them! _

“Brother-!” She choked, but he had been faster. He shouldered her away, dodging and striking back at the offender. It was fine. It was fine, it was fine, it was  _ fine _ -

A strange, unfamiliar cry filled the air. It felt… hurt. Not one she’d heard before.

Edelgard? No, no… Edelgard wouldn’t get hurt, not if her brother was-

Byleth was lying on the ground.

The scream that ripped from Byleth’s throat was… unnatural. Filled with rage and anguish, louder than the woman had ever been known to be, the remaining troops almost thought a demonic beast was upon them.

When they turned to see the red-hot glow of the Sword of the Creator whipping out toward them, the soldiers almost wished it  _ had  _ been a demonic beast. Something that would later only be described as a roar of a dragon had absolutely no business coming from a lady so small.

The Kingdom soldiers hardly had time to react before over half of them had been slain. By the time Byleth got her hand around the throat of one of the few brave enough to approach her, the wiser companions had fled. With a huff, the provoked professor whirled about, several seconds going by before she was capable of registering that only she, her friends, and wounded stragglers of the enemy remained.

Her nearly red vision almost faded directly to black, but the bile creeping up her throat was enough to wake her back up. Byleth was soaked in desperation, hardly understanding that her brother was back on his feet, attempting to help Edelgard up from where she was practically curled upon the ground. A bit to their right, Claude spat blood into the snow, arm wrapped around his middle with a grimace.

_ Alive. Alive. Alive. Alive. People that were alive needed shelter and food and water and warmth and- _

Not fully present, Byleth staggered away from them all, away from that  _ damn  _ lake as well, shambling through the woods like she was half-dead in search of… of  _ something _ .

If she had had the mind to turn around and glance behind her, she would’ve known that the others had followed. Byleth, arms around Edelgard, was helping her shuffle after his sister, his own grip weak and Edelgard’s teeth clenched tightly. Claude was only a few steps behind them, practically using Failnaught as a walking stick as he herded the two after his teacher, more aware than either of them.

It wasn’t clear where she was heading, or if she even knew she was moving at all. All that was certain was that the grip she had on the Sword of the Creator was tight enough that her knuckles were a ghostly white, paler than her face or the snow. It was when they had ventured for a few minutes that Edelgard called out, voice full of strain.

“We… W-We can’t go any further.  _ Stop _ , Byleth, our legs will give  _ out _ .”

At her words, the leader froze in place, stiff. Barely giving an indication that the words were heard, Byleth slowly turned to face the rock formation that she had led them closer to. Just slightly her stance shifted, bringing the sword down to her side.

“It can cut through mountains.”

Taken aback by her sudden speech, Claude glanced uneasily between the two in front of him. Whether the sense of anxiety he felt came from the words themselves - how often had he teased and mentioned such a thing to her, after all? - or from the way her voice held no trace of herself in it, he wasn’t fully sure. Perhaps both.

With a sharp jab, the Sword of the Creator buried itself into the rock. Giving a grunt, Byleth wrenched her arm, the blade slicing through the formation. Bewildered, her companions could only stare as she continued the strange motions, ending it all with a flick as rocks and shard fragments burst from the stone, scattering dangerously close to those behind her.

A sharp stare and point of her hand drew the vision of Edelgard, Byleth, and Claude to see what had been created: a cave entrance. When she didn’t move, they took the sign to get in.

It wasn’t graceful in the slightest. Byleth and Edelgard all but collapsed on the dark floor, Claude opting to use the rocky wall to ease himself down. Outside, Byleth turned away from them, slowly turning her head before putting the finishing touch on the new shelter.

The Sword of the Creator wrapped itself about one of the large nearby trees, and with a tug came the snap of wood and the whole thing came crashing down. Backing herself into the cave, Byleth pulled the trunk along with her, bringing it to a stop right in front of the exit. Only a bit of light was able to sneak in through the top, leaving the rest of the cave dim, but for the glow of the Relics.

When she turned to face them, her grip slackened, the blade dropping to the ground. Her green eyes were wide and horribly blank, flickering between all three of them too quick to track. Her step forward was horribly off-kilter, nearly causing her to fall to her knees before she reached her brother.

Hands cold as ice on his face, her voice was quieter than ever in the silence of the cave. “Don’t… don’t rest. Stay awake. Please, stay awake.”

He leaned away as he felt energy beneath her fingertips, narrowing his eyes in concern. She shouldn’t go about trying to heal, not with how… vacant she already seemed.

Byleth was too dizzy and slow to keep her from turning to Edelgard and Claude, faint gold and white light wafting from her hands as she weakly stood; she trembled all over.

Edelgard could only bite her tongue as she grimaced, feeling small cuts stitch themselves up under the faith magic, ill with the feeling of it licking at more grievous wounds. Claude’s eyes were dark, frown deeply set, as he let himself lean away from the light, barely letting even the split eyebrow heal.

“Teach, stop it.”

He regretted the words as soon as they exited, for they seemed to get her attention. Her entire expression seemed slack, like she was sleepwalking, but her eyes had changed. No longer were they blank, fueled solely on adrenaline and instinct. Claude saw  _ her  _ in her eyes again, and in the worst possible way.

Fear. Pain. Exhaustion. All those were tied up with a deep, deep  _ loathing _ as wetness pooled at her eyelids, escaping to further freeze her cheeks.

“My…  _ my  _ fault,” she whispered, voice breaking as she did. The faith magic’s light had gotten so weak, it only seemed to reach just beyond her outstretched hands.

“No, none of that,  _ not  _ your fault, Teach. You’re okay. We’re all okay. Just, don’t - c’mon, By, don’t waste tears on us. We’re not that special. You fixed it, right? Something real bad must’ve happened, and you made it better. Now,  _ stop  _ using magic.  _ Please _ .”

In an instant, the glow halted, Byleth panting as she brought her hands up to her chest. “I… sorry. For…  _ forgive _ …”

The black spots she had been fighting began to overwhelm her. Byleth let go, feeling small, childlike hands grabbing her own and pulling her into the darkness.


	4. Regroup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lot of wound desc in this chapter!!

Despite the screaming of his wounds, Claude jolted forward as Byleth dropped to the ground, seeing her brother’s eyes widen as his hands flexed, but did not move enough.  _ Just  _ able to grab her by the shoulders, Claude eased her down the rest of the way, careful to put her head down gently.

With a sigh, Byleth dropped his head into his hand, a soft groan escaping him. Without the distraction of his sister’s strange behavior nor the adrenaline from the fight, he realized how dizzy he felt. He had been focusing on blinking the spots out of his eyes enough…

“You likely… have a concussion, Byleth. Did you hit your head?”

He blinked, thinking it over. It was difficult to remember much of the battle…

“Took the blunt end of an axe to the head while trying to get to you, majesty. While you were down, they were plenty willing to step on you while you were there. Some kicks to your head and chest… that’s why Teach probably didn’t want you to sleep, yeah? She always knows…”

“And… you were just observing this? How kind of you to… keep track.”

Claude rolled his eyes in return, focusing his attention to brushing Byleth’s hair out of her eyes, before wincing as he took off his cape.

“She’s like  _ ice. _ Maybe Saint Stick-Up-His-Ass had it right, for once…”

Byleth shook his head slowly, turning to Edelgard as she carefully laid down. “Sister and I… heal quickly. So it’d be best to tend to you first.”

Pulling a concoction off his belt, a common practice most of them had picked up during the war, he took a quick shot before pulling apart the armor Edelgard wore. Claude watched the professor’s tender care as he did so, trying to ignore how similar it was to his own actions as he draped his cape over his own professor, tucking it in around her.

There. With her a little more bundled up, maybe now he could look at himself. The sight, well… it wasn’t pretty.

His shirt and coat were both soaked through with blood on the right side. That hadn’t felt particularly bad during the battle, but perhaps that was the adrenaline speaking.

Nah, he was more concerned about the long, curved dagger that was  _ in his calf. _ It had gone in through the outer part of his right leg and poked out the left side, and had just… stayed. It had hurt like a  _ bitch _ to walk on, but it wasn’t as though Byleth had given him much choice in that matter. Honestly, the pain might not even be as bad as the feeling of the blood gushing down his leg, seeping into his boot.

It sort of  _ burned, _ too. That… wasn’t exactly normal.

Byleth frowned at what he saw. A lance had managed to get under Edelgard’s armored bodice, easily stabbing into the white skin underneath. Thanks to the pressure the armor had put on the wound, it hadn’t bled too much, but it was still gastly to look at. Gentle, he let a blast of Heal wrap around her middle, pouring the remainder of his concoction into the wound as he did. It was hard to ignore the way Edelgard was biting her lip, but if he saw her pain, he wouldn’t be able to go on.

Done with that, for now, he grasped the closest cloak to him and ripped a portion off. Securing that around the wound as tightly as he could as a bandage.

What concerned him the most was that his gauntlets weren’t slick with just blood. A murky brown liquid that smelled more like one of his flowers than mud coated them as well.

“Is anything else hurt?” Byleth trailed his hands slowly over her body, hoping that his faith magic would work for him here. The ribs felt tender, but he couldn’t… damn, he couldn’t think fully. His hands hovered down, going along…

“Your leg is broken.”

“Damn it.” Edelgard sounded resigned, but not surprised. “Whatever. I’ll just not put weight on it… so long as I keep my boot on, it’ll act as a splint.”

Lavender eyes glanced away, frustrated, only to look at the suspiciously silent portion of the cave. Raising an eyebrow at the sight of Claude with his head back, staring at the dark roof, she gave a faint nudge to Byleth.

He wasn’t addressing his wounds at all.

Byleth sighed, standing to get closer to the other man. The walk was a bit dizzying, but between the concoction and his natural enhanced healing, he could hope the concussion had been lessened to something manageable.

(Now, upon noticing that the archer had positioned his sister’s head to rest on his thigh, it took all of Byleth’s patience to not scowl at his ally. After all, it was probably kinder than to have her head on the ground.)

“Hey, prof, what brings you to my neck of the woods?” Claude winced at the level stare he got, a small sigh as he gave up on the act. “Sorry to take your attention away from her majesty. I can’t do this myself.”

Interesting. Such an admittal was not usual for Claude. Regardless, Byleth grabbed the handle of the dagger embedded in his leg. With a slow, steady hand, he reversed the blade’s course, dropping it to the side with disdain.

“Ha, thanks for that. If you could get the arrows out, I can fix the rest on my - neeever mind. I see. Whatever suits you.”

Silencing him with a hard look, Byleth pulled off the boot and stocking and ran a single glowing hand over the wound, trying to ignore the obvious pain this caused. As he grabbed another cloth strip to prevent further bleeding, his low, gruff voice explained.

“If she was awake, she’d help you yourself. If she knew I left you to suffer, doubtless she’d sock me in the gut as hard as she could. Regardless, we are allies.”

Huffing slightly, Claude let him work, his left hand idly rubbing a circle along the prone woman’s scalp. His attention only refocused on the matter at hand when he felt Byleth tug his other arm up, an uncomfortable twinge deep in his forearm as he twisted an arrow.

“This one hasn’t impacted bone.”

Claude had no warning before Byleth was pushing the arrow through, biting his cheek to keep himself quiet through the pain. After it was done, Byleth glanced up, displeasure wrinkling his nose.

“How many times were you shot?”

“Lost track. Most just shot through, superficial. Two more are lodged in the upper arm, there. One or two in the shoulder, up back? Think the shafts snapped off in the battle.”

Shaking his head, Byleth continued his work. The ones remaining in his arm were also easy to pull through, but shifting to look at his back was another story entirely.

“You’re going to want to bite down on something that won’t bleed or break.”

“That sounds cheerful.”

Slipping out the knife Byleth always kept on his belt, pinching the broken shaft of one arrow, he carefully made a neat slice to ease the arrowhead out of the shoulder muscle. With as much precision as he could muster, the weapon was pulled clean, obviously so, as Byleth watched the strip of tight brown skin loosen beneath his hand. One left. Byleth gripped the broken shaft of the remaining arrow tightly, giving a small twist-

Nothing but a sharp wince from Claude: it didn’t move in the slightest. This arrow was lodged in the bone of the shoulder blade, then.

“You don’t make this easy.”

Perhaps it wasn’t the kindest thing to say, after all, Claude was most certainly in tremendous pain, but Byleth had never been one with a stellar bedside manner.

This would take more work. Byleth stretched the wound, digging his fingers in as much he could, thankful that he had thought to remove his gauntlet before grabbing his knife.

His finger was buried in so deep into the wound that it had gone up to his first knuckle before he felt the arrowhead. There. Now he could begin.

His sister didn’t stir once during the whole operation. By the time it was done, Claude had broken into a cold sweat and Byleth still had one question for him.

Glancing at where Edelgard lay, breathing even despite her open eyes, Byleth gave in to his curiosity.

“The blood from Edelgard’s wounds was mixed with a slick, brown substance. It smelled floral. Would you know of it?”

Chuckling weakly, Claude’s voice came out more as a croak than anything else. “Something suspicious like that immediately reminds you of me, huh Prof? I bet my ass it’s poison. Best to nip it in the bud. I always come prepared.”

Squinting as Claude pulled out a small bottle with his good hand, Byleth took it from him.

“Antitoxin, works on any poison I’ve ever tried, so it’ll do for her. That’s all I’ve got on me, but it’s important that her majesty recovers as fast as possible, yeah?”

Antitoxins were nice and all, but it didn’t explain how Claude immediately knew that it would be poison. Byleth had had a suspicion himself, but the way Claude’s eyes had darkened at the question proved it. Perhaps Claude was even more familiar with poisons than his sister proclaimed.

At least, that was what Byleth tried to convince himself of as he returned to his beloved.

Edelgard certainly did not  _ look  _ well, but that wasn’t surprising, given the pain she had to be in and the amount of blood she had lost. She only looked up at him when she felt him press the cool feeling of the antitoxin bottle into her hand.

“Drink it. The spear you were wounded with was laced in poison.”

“Yeah, and I’d drink it all if I were you, majesty. Being poisoned in a situation like this could easily spell your death, and we can’t have that, can we now?”

Irked, Edelgard still listened to Claude’s words, weakly sipping at the liquid as Byleth helped her to sit up, resting her against his chest despite the ache it gave. After a moment, he was surprised to hear Edelgard speak.

“Talk, Byleth. It wouldn’t do for you to pass out and not wake like your sister. Tell us… What happened? There was a Pulse. I know that much.”

Ignoring the wince at the mention of his sister as well as the way green eyes trained themselves on him from Claude, Byleth supposed there would be no escaping this. Usually his sister was the one to explain anything, far more talkative than him, but…

“We had attempted to navigate the frozen pond when Kingdom Soldiers spotted us. They doused everything in vegetable oil and then… one flaming arrow was all it took to set everything ablaze. The ice broke, and as soon as we hit the water… we were back in the woods. It was the Pulse that… sapped her entirely of her energy. Perhaps Seteth was right. Cold, and her powers… but it was the right call. We all would have perished.”

“Yet she still thinks a different ambush is her fault… We are not dead. Injured,  _ poisoned _ , perhaps. But this is a far better alternative. If she wakes and I am not myself, please let her know that I am thankful for her… divine intervention.

“That said…” Edelgard paused, tone becoming strangely solemn, “it’s… strange, how… emotional she was over this ordeal. I mean no harm, but Byleth, all know by now how rarely you two show how you feel. Perhaps, yes, she is a bit more open than you, but… I don’t recall having seen her cry since… since Sir Jeralt died.”

Claude knew otherwise. The second she had climbed up the monastery stairwell and saw him waiting for her… The second he had turned to see her for the first time in  _ years _ … he had been startled when the tears started rolling down her cheeks.  _ Especially  _ considering the smile it was paired with. The first time she’d ever smiled with teeth, that was for certain…

Byleth, however, knew the truth. The last time his sister had cried before this occasion… was when they had seen each other again for the first time after their separation. Her smile, first, was the brightest thing he’d ever seen… but when he finally had her in his arms, he was able to feel her shaking, feel the dampness growing from where she had pressed her face into his chest. It wasn’t simply crying, these were  _ sobs _ , and weeping akin to this, he knew for certain, truly hadn’t happened since the death of their father.

Besides the month following said death, Byleth hadn’t seen his sister cry more than twice. When the separation had ended, as stated before, and…

When he had stepped away from Rhea, to Edelgard, and chose his own path. But even after all of that, since they had joined the forces of the Black Eagles and Golden Deer, she had only ever wept in memory of Jeralt…

Thinking about it… was more than enough pain to deal with, and all too much when added to the feeling of having watched her weep just minutes ago.

“…leth…”

What… was he doing again? His sister…

“Byl… wake up, y…”

She couldn’t cry… he had to make sure she wasn’t… he needed to be with… with  _ her _ … 

Despite his open eyes, Byleth was unable to see Edelgard reach for him as he lost himself to the void.

_ Byleth… _


	5. Meanwhile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The headcount comes up short.

The wind was howling, the sky dark and the trees obscuring any light from the moon and stars. Despite the freezing temperature, figures made camp, small fires dotting the area and tents being pitched.

Lysithea and Ferdinand approached Alois and Catherine with great cautiousness, knowing those two were the ones that had volunteered first nightwatch. Alois spotted their coming first, halting the conversation the two were having and turning to face the younger soldiers.

“Have you completed the headcount? I highly doubt anyone could have gotten seriously astray, but those wolves didn’t make it easy on us!”

“Yes, we… we finished the headcount,” Lysithea started, “but it appears not all of our troops have been recovered. We’re missing four people.”

“What! Who in the world could have split up from us! Dammit, if Marianne or Bernadetta fled-”

“That’s not who’s missing,” Ferdinand replied, cutting Catherine off, “dreadful as it may be to admit it, we’ve caught no wind or news of Edelgard or our professor.”

“Same with Claude and  _ our _ professor,” Lysithea supplied, wringing her hands. “Lorenz keeps insisting that Claude must’ve just irresponsibly run off to be alone with Teacher, but I have many doubts that Edelgard and Professor Byleth would have done the same.”

“Hubert’s about to blow a fuse,” Ferdinand whispered, glancing behind him to make sure the mage was not in position to overhear, “he believes that either Claude is using this as a way to assassinate her majesty or - or that the kingdom soldiers have already captured her. He refuses to rest until she’s found, regardless of the other three.”

“Ugh, we’ll get nowhere if he doesn’t work  _ with  _ us instead of against us. Goddess above, he doesn’t need to be so difficult-!”

Catherine stopped herself from continuing as the person in question practically materialed next to the four, scaring Alois witless. Scowl prominent, Hubert immediately went into his speech.

“We haven’t the time to waste lying about and meandering while Lady Edelgard is potentially defenseless and alone in enemy territory! Tents shouldn’t be pitched, stew ought not be served, not until she is back  _ among  _ us.”

“What do you expect us to do? It’s not as though we have any leads-”

“But we  _ do _ ,” Hubert insisted, resulting in Lysithea puffing out her cheeks, “mere hours ago, some time after the dreadful wolves ambushed us, there was a sudden, rich burst of magic. I could not detect it as faith nor reason - but something else entirely. That is how it feels on the occasion that one of the professors should interfere with how a battle is progressing - her majesty says it is called a Divine Pulse. They are not so usually this easy to detect, which is all the more concerning. It’s as though the animalistic part of their mind instinctively shattered the laws of time.”

“So one of the professors… panicked, then?” Alois supplied, hesitant, “That’s not exactly heartening…”

“It does not  _ matter  _ so long as Lady Edelgard is  _ alive. _ I have the location of where it happened, it would be in our best interest to-”

“Easy, kid. This isn’t your choice to make. We’ve already got the saints near their limit, and in a place like this, we’ll die if we don’t rest. Trust me. Like some of you other runts, I’m from the Kingdom. If we go out at night like this, we’ll freeze before we have any luck finding the Emperor  _ or  _ the others.”

Seeing that Catherine’s words were doing absolutely  _ nothing  _ to convince Hubert to stand down, Ferdinand attempted his own approach. “Hubert, listen. Your idea to hone in on the location one of the professors was last is admirable, that is certain, but consider: what if her majesty is not  _ with _ the professor that caused it? All that would achieve is a fruitless search, perhaps even in the wrong direction.”

Fuming still, Hubert at least quieted at such a possibility. “I would need… more time and energy if I were to attempt to confirm anything more about the energy signature.”

“Which will come sooner if you sleep. Come, share my tent tonight, since you will not be in Edelgard’s.”

With that, it was easy enough to drag the brooding man away. Lysithea sighed as she watched them go, trailing after them at a distance. With their departure, Shamir approached the two, face blank and tone nonchalant.

“So you decided not to inform the others about the reports of Kingdom soldiers, then?”

Looking away, Catherine slowly forced a return.

“It wouldn’t do to have the kids all… panic. I can’t just waltz over and tell them that there were signs of a struggle where you searched, Shamir. Fallen trees and snow stained red? Nothing good comes from that combination. But there weren’t any corpses, so…”

“So they’re out there, somewhere. You’re the optimist, Alois. What say you?”

“Heh, I wouldn’t put so much faith in me, Shamir! I hate to think about what could’ve harmed them in a dangerous place like this… but there is one thing that I’m certain of: so long as those troublesome twins are able to draw breath, there’s  _ snow  _ way that they would be defeated by some measly scouts!”

“And… that’s enough for me, tonight! Want to go pitch a tent with me, Shamir?”

“Anything to get away from this oaf.”


	6. An Empty Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i find this chapter even better if you set the sothis mindscape music to it while you read

Byleth’s eyes… they felt so… so  _ heavy _ . What had happened…? Had he fallen asleep? That had been  _ exactly  _ what his sister said not to do…

Slowly, he managed the feat. He instantly wished he hadn’t.

He hadn’t really been…  _ here _ since his sister and Sothis had… and now, instead of the goddess on the throne, curled up asleep in its seat, was Byleth herself.

She looked peaceful. She looked content.

It was  _ wrong _ .

Byleth tried to step toward her, frustrated when he found that no matter how much he walked, he grew no closer.

“Sister!”

**“Oh, you silly little thing. She can’t hear you.”**

Feeling his chest tighten, Byleth squared his jaw. “Sister, you must wake up! You can’t stay here!”

He reached out with his hand, as far as he could stretch. The soft chuckle that echoed around him only made him  _ angry _ .

**“How rash! It’s rude to wake a girl up from her beauty sleep! She’s too far gone for you now.”**

“I’m not abandoning you, Byleth.”  _ Not again. _ Voice low, Byleth tried to hold in his pulsing anger. “You have to wake up. You’ve done it before! I refuse to let you rot in your mind for another half decade.  _ You  _ are the one that got us out of the darkness of Zahras.  _ You  _ gave your soul to Sothis to save us both. To save the-”

_ The students. _ That, in the end, would have been the only thing that could have convinced  _ him  _ to take Sothis’ power, if his sister had not been a factor. Those kids… they were everything, to them. So maybe then, if she could be motivated by the kids like before-

“Kids…?”

Byleth nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his sister’s voice, only showing his surprise by a slight widening of his eyes. He watched as she rubbed her head slightly on the chair, as if trying to stir.

“Kids… to… protect…”

Yes, maybe he was getting through to her, “Wake up for the kids, sister-”

“Wake… for… the… the children… for… the children of the goddess… the… Immaculate One… the saints…”

Every drop of blood in Byleth’s body went cold. He stepped forward again, not entirely shocked to find he was now able to inch just a bit closer.

“No. No! Not actual - not  _ Sothis’  _ kids. Dammit, sister, how could you forget those brats?”

“Brats…? The brats…”

Byleth winced. That was true, five long years ago, Sothis had agreed to lend her powers in order to save the  _ brats _ .

“I… must save the brats… save… oh… oh, Claude… all of them…”

A bright, sleep-clouded green peeked out at him, even if only for a moment, before fluttering shut. Byleth shuffled on the throne, weakly pushing herself up to lean against the armrest, seemingly like she was to fall back to sleep.

_ It wasn’t enough! _

“Sister, your family, all of us, needs you. Not just the brats. Dad - what would he think?”

“Mm… I have no… no father… I am the… Beginning… nothing predates… predates me…”

He was going to kill Sothis.

“Jeralt Eisner. Blade Breaker. Our  _ father _ , Byleth.”

A hand lazily lifted up to smooth back her hair, small yawn exiting before she spoke again. “No… only… children… no father…”

This was all wrong… to think that she could barely remember the students, that their  _ father  _ was gone from her memory…

He would have understood if she had forgotten  _ him _ . He had been the one that had left her to follow Edelgard with not even the slightest explanation. He had left her without even a goodbye. He couldn’t bear the things that Alois had told him, the things that he had read in the one letter he had gotten all those years ago.

Jeralt and the students had always been there. How could she forget  _ them  _ when if anyone deserved it, it was her terrible excuse for a  _ brother _ ? A brother that couldn’t even follow her simple instructions of not falling asleep, or not using a Divine Pulse - that was why he was  _ here _ , wasn’t it?

“A… hmm… brother…?

“Yes, that’s right… a brother…” Byleth continued to muse, rolling a shoulder back as she rubbed at her eyes. “If I… sleep then… who will keep an eye on… on him?”

No,  _ no  _ he didn’t deserve this when he was clearly-

“Brother?”

His head snapped up, staring to see his sister sitting up fully, green eyes blinking blearily down at him. It seemed to take a few moments for her to realize where they were, what was happening.

The second she realized, she was clumsily pushing herself up off the throne, making her way down, down, towards him.

“I thought I told you not to use a Pulse unless someone had -  _ no _ , has someone died! How long has it been, brother, what  _ happened _ -?”

Byleth could hardly believe it. Gently, he reached out, no barrier able to hold him now. His hand met not air, but a soft cheek and hair, running his thumb softly down the pale skin.

“I don’t know. I was speaking and…”

Byleth closed her eyes, nodding slightly as she rested her hand over her brother’s. “I’m glad to know that even when fate pushes us into the dark, we always find a way back to each other.”

“You couldn’t sleep. I - We needed you to-”

**“Fine, fine, I see how it is. You two can’t take it easy for even a second, huh? Worthless brats you are! Fine then, don’t restore your powers with a good nap! I hope you enjoy that frozen wasteland, because I don’t want to, that’s for sure!”**

Distracted by the familiar voice, Byleth had only looked away for a second when she turned back to face her - her-

“Brother? Wait, I - where-?”

This time, she filled the dark void not with terror, but a determined pulse of anger.

_ “Let me wake up!” _


	7. Wake, Wake

Byleth sat up so quickly she nearly gave herself a headrush. Eyes wide and very much awake, she took in the world around her. Edelgard was leaning over her groaning brother, prying one of his hands away from his face.

“Whoa, hey now, let’s take it a bit slower, yeah Teach?”

Careful, she touched the fingers that now comfortingly gripped her shoulder, turning to see Claude’s face smiling at her.

Sitting back on her own, Byleth pulled the cloak that she had been covered with around her, thankful for its minimal warmth. “I… I overdid it earlier, I’m sorry… I, I forgot… oh, I forgot F… Fath-”

Before any of the other three were able to cut her off, she did it herself with a sudden jolt, head curling into her chest. Claude blinked for a moment before a small huff of a chuckle, shaking his head fondly.

“Ugh, really? You’re simply too much, that’s got to be tiniest sneeze I’ve ever heard - er, seen, really.”

Face blank but for a small scowl, Byleth returned her own sentiment with a lightly affronted tone. “I’m cold.”

“It’s good to have you both awake, again. We have no way of telling how long it’s been, but I’d consider it at least a couple of hours. It’s darker than before, and colder as well.”

Tiredly, Edelgard gave a small wave to a frankly pitiful sight: a small scrap of cloak smoldering in the dark, hardly giving off any light. “I tried my hand at a fire spell. This was the result. Our cloaks were all damp and it seemed… drastic to resort to adding the next best kindling available. Hair, that is.”

Byleth sighed. It was clear that if she were to say anything disheartening or remotely self-loathing in nature, the trio around her would doubtlessly distract the conversation in a different direction. Her brother certainly appeared to want to speak to her, with the way his eyes flashed, but… what happened was private, and he knew he’d have to wait before the matter arose again.

“When it’s light, I’ll see if there are any drier pieces of wood. We’ll need food, as well…”

“Edelgard had a broken leg and Claude won’t want to put weight on one of his own any time soon.”

“Really, prof? You just gonna go and tattle like that on us?”

Gently shoving her palm into Claude’s face, Byleth held her gaze with her brother’s own. “I see. Even more important. We have no rations and two of us are unable to walk, not to discount your head injuries. I pride myself in my strength, but even I do not have the capabilities to carry three people, especially when two of them are far broader and heavier than me.

“That’s settled then,” she brushed her hair out of her face, biting absently at the inside of her cheek, “when it’s light, I’ll hunt and scavenge what I can. The Kingdom soldiers, they… they could have done anything to me in that fight, but they left me untouched until I started fighting back. If I am alone, they shouldn’t have any reason to engage… likely due to being the interim archbishop. Should anything happen, I’ll simply Pulse back, in a worst-case scenario.”

When the younger twin fell to silence, it hung deafeningly over the man-made cave. Finally, Claude spoke up to fill it, trying for his best optimistic tone.

“Well, at least the Knights of Seiros got word from the reinforcements before this all went to shit.”

“Judith is approaching, is she not?” Byleth replied, watching Edelgard shift to rest her head on her brother’s lap, far more interested in listening than adding her own words. The duke almost winced at hearing the Hero of Daphnel’s name, rubbing his temple idly with his good hand.

“Yeah… Was supposed to meet our troops within the next day or so. She’s supposed to bring word on the status of the Almyran reinforcements as well as her own, can’t say I’m thrilled to have her find out about this whole situation…”

“She’s going to drag you into next week, and I won’t have a Pulse to spare for you.”

“ _ Real _ comforting, Teach. At this rate, your bedside manner will be just as rough as your brother’s.”

Despite giving a glare that was really more of a pout, Byleth shifted to give a far-more aware check than she had previously. The patches of bandages… or, at least, the bandages that ripped cloaks could offer, that was… well, they seemed to be neat and tight, the proper handiwork of her twin. She recognized the weak healing magic she had done in the awkward, half-scarred slice along his eyebrow.

She was  _ not _ pleased, however, to see his side still stained a bloody red.

Immediately, she turned back around, sending her brother a long, disgruntled stare. “I thought I told you that half of my students are idiots. You  _ still  _ didn’t do a thorough check.”

“Oh, leave him be, between the head injury and the  _ accelerated  _ level of idiocy of Duke Riegan, your brother stood no chance,” Edelgard waved her hand lightly, voice barely tinged with humor.

“They’re superficial wounds, ‘leth, I promise. Trust me, if it was anything worth taking my shirt off in this cold, I’d let you know. Or else-”

“Lest Judith have your head, I’m well aware,” Byleth hummed, resting her chin in her hand. “I can already hear her scolding you. It’s like the pecks of a woodpecker to your already mottled bark…”

“You two seem to be on awfully fond terms with this Judith character,” Edelgard mused, keeping her voice level and uninterested, “Interesting that she’d know Teacher Byleth so well. Claude does not surprise me, of course, for even the Hero of Daphnel would show courtesy to her sovereign lord.”

Between the smallest wry smile of one and the loud groan from the other, Edelgard got the answer she wanted. “Majesty, the day Judith gives me any respect or courtesy is the day I’ll let Lorenz fuck me.”

Though the horrible statement made Edelgard nearly choke on her breath, it got the desired effect of Byleth’s cheeks turning a rosy pink, a sure sign of amusement as any laugh would have been from her. Her softly offered “He’s right,” only sealed the deal.

How interesting. She’d have to ask more questions about this Judith character later.


	8. Devastation

It had taken quite a lot of persuasion for Byleth to convince her brother that sleep was the best choice for the night, given the situation they had found themselves in. With no feasible way to keep the meager fire going all night, the heat source turned to was the best they had in general: sharing body heat.

That was how Byleth found herself curled up tightly between her brother and Claude, Edelgard on the other side of her twin. She hadn’t particularly felt comfortable in the middle, knowing herself to be a fairly restless sleeper, but where Edelgard had succeeded in gaining a spot on the side, she had failed.

After all, her brother had adamantly refused to let her sleep anywhere that wouldn’t keep her as warm as possible.

 _Perhaps he was right_ , she could not help but consider, finding herself quite content lying in an undeniably heated space between the men and cloaks. She had turned in the night, her back pressed up against another, the way her shoulders fit in his so perfectly confirming that it was her brother. That meant that the chest her face was buried into belonged to Claude. The arm over her, and hand with fingers lazily curling through her hair, also belonged to him.

His breathing was deep and slow. Still asleep, then. Without thinking, Byleth softly pressed a kiss to his breast, hand carefully drifting up to his side, the smallest amount of faith magic she could muster slowly healing the swath of cuts and slices that hadn’t been treated the day before.

The fingers stopped sifting through her hair.

“I don’t think your brother would approve of using magic needlessly, By.”

In the past, people would have been shocked beyond words for any hint of emotion upon one of the twin professors’ faces, much less a hot, bright red blush. Things had changed a lot, since then.

“I need not the light of the sun to enjoy the day. I’ll go hunt.”

Not letting him get a reply in, Byleth slid up from under the bundled cloaks and capes, almost instantly regretting it when the freezing air swept across her skin. She didn’t wait for anyone to stop her before going to the trunk that blocked off the cave entrance, easily able to use her small fingers and frame to not only climb up, but slide out through the slit where light entered.

She was going to get a lecture later, surely, but what did it matter? They needed food.

Of course, hunting was going to be… difficult. She and the mercenaries had hunted in the Kingdom plenty of times before, especially since it was where Jeralt had hailed from. Even so, she didn’t have any proper equipment. No bow, no material for traps, no fishing line… just a knife and her hands.

It took several minutes to even find any animal. By then, Byleth had found herself perched in a tree, waiting for some larger prey to meander by below her. It helped, for once, that she smelled like blood. Perhaps that would attract certain animals.

Despite that, the first animal that caught her eye was a bright red cardinal. It had a nest on the next tree over, though there were no eggs and no female in sight. Perhaps a juvenile’s first winter? It would be quite difficult to catch a bird so small at this distance with only a knife, and it wouldn’t bring much gain. If Marianne had been here, perhaps she would’ve been able to ask the bird where a hotbed of prey would be…

Byleth straightened minutely where she sat. _Marianne_.

Slowly, she reached out a hand, desperate to not spook the bird; “Hello.” When it simply eyed her without taking flight, she took it as a reassurance.

“I will not hurt you. I have a friend who is quite fond of birds. If you find her, I’m certain that she will be able to help you with whatever you need - food for this winter, or finding a mate, whatever it is you might wish for. Please… look for Marianne, and let her know that I am with the other three leading this army. We are hurt and unable to find our way back to them. Marianne is with a lot of people, I’m certain that they’re very noisy, you should be able to find them easily. Her hair, it - it is the same color as the sky, and her eyes are like the bark of your tree. Please-”

She did not get to finish her plea, the scarlet bird flapping away before the end of it.

It had been worth a try. In the end, what must have been at least an hour or two had gone by before she found herself climbing back over the tree trunk, bloody knife sheathed, a couple of rabbits in hand.

She hadn’t expected to come back to anything more than perhaps mild communication or sleeping bodies; Byleth found herself quite surprised to return to an argument.

Her brother was sitting over a teeny fire, likely having been restarted by Edelgard, a frown heavily apparent on his face. His tightly drawn eyebrows relaxed only marginally when he saw her walking over, gaze sweeping her for any issues.

Byleth was distracted, however, to the space Edelgard and Claude occupied. Claude had his gloved left hand hovering over his eyes, as if shielding himself from the emperor, grimacing all the while. Edelgard looked as threatening as she could, lying fully on the ground, eyes like ice as she glared.

“Have you any idea how the nonsense you’ve pulled could change the course of this war if you’re not careful? You sound as though you’ve spent far too much time listening to the ramblings of Ferdinand and Lorenz - _every_ life can matter in war, Claude! You’ve no right to throw yours away!”

“ _Gods_ , I’m not throwing it _away_ , Edelgard! I told you already, if anything were to happen to me, so long as you remained the war would carry on _fine_ . You’d have all you’ve ever wanted, _both_ of the twins and the entirety of the Alliance primed and ready for unification! How would this be _any_ different than if Hubert was in my stead!”

“You know _damn_ well your impact in this war weighs far more than _his-_ ”

“I-I f-f-found s, some, some ra-”

If the quiet, stuttering voice hadn’t immediately captured the attention of all in the area, the sound of rabbit corpses hitting the dirt as Byleth brought her hands up to sneeze certainly did.

Within moments, Byleth stood from the fire, wrapping his sister in his own cloak with care. His eyes said it all: _you spent far too much time in the snow._

She shrugged, shivering as she clutched the cloak closer around her, fumbling for her knife to start gutting the animals. She was hardly started in her attempt before her brother shook his head, taking out his own.

“Warm up. I’ll fix the meat.”

Listening, for once, Byleth sat down, hands over the fire for only a moment before moving closer to the nobles. At this point, they were a better heat source.

Despite her chill, Byleth still put as much disappointed teacher into her voice as possible. “What is it that is c-causing such a disruption? A-Anything you two would like to share with your professors?”

“As a matter of fact, I think it’d be of great importance for you to hear out this concern, Byleth. It appears that-”

“-Edelgard _don’t you dare_ -”

“-while intelligent enough to inform your brother that I had been poisoned by the enemies in the skirmish, yesterday-”

“-it’s not going to accomplish anything except _freak her out_ , so _shut_ -”

“-he decided to not mention that a _majority_ of the weapons used by the Kingdom soldiers had been poisoned, _including_ the ones _he_ was harmed with.”

Byleth’s eyes widened slightly as she looked between the two, lips opening as if to speak before shutting silently.

“Claude always carries an antitoxin-”

“Which he told Byleth to give to _me_ . Your brother inquired about a dark liquid that accompanied my blood, which Claude had absolutely no issue identifying as poisons are his forte. So he gave me his antitoxin. His words were, if I may, ‘I’d drink it all if I were you, majesty. Being poisoned in a situation like this could easily spell your death, and we can’t have that, can we now?’ Quite ironic, if you ask me, considering he was _well aware_ that he had been poisoned too.”

“Most of his blood had soaked into his boot and the arrows were so covered in blood that I would never have been able to tell,” the older twin added, rabbits fully skinned.

“They only caught me because it turns out that, when cold, her majesty is _quite_ the cuddlebug. You went hunting and your brother woke and stayed restless not a few minutes later, leaving the emperor to her wildest dreams of sleeping with me.”

“That is the situation at hand,” Edelgard stoically pointed out, “whether any of us like it or not. I’m not surprised it happened, given that you’ve amounted such a fever I could feel it through my own _gauntlets_.”

Blank face falling to the smallest bit of concern, Byleth had no hesitations when she turned to Claude, pushing herself onto her knees as she curled a hand about his ear, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

She pulled back too late to see Edelgard’s look of mild astonishment.

“You’ve always run a little warmer than your classmates… but this is far worse than I’ve ever seen for you,” Byleth commented, the smallest of frowns on her face. “Why would you not split the antitoxin? I-If something were to happen, the _political_ scandal that would arise-”

Sighing, Claude pressed his head into his hand, shaking it wearily. “Listen, Teach. I didn’t do this to be noble, or anything like that. I figured… having two people poisoned would be far worse than one, even if that one was more seriously ill. Even mildly poisoned people would have trouble surviving this scenario. I… I have more experience with being poisoned than her, and… it’d be better for everyone if it was me that died from an ambush instead of the emperor. The Alliance never gets along, not under me, but let’s face it, if anyone can single-handedly lead and win this war? It’s going to be Edelgard von Hresvelg. So long as we win, and we… get rid of the damn crest system, and let Fódlan be more open and accepting of all sorts of people, it won’t matter if _I_ live or die. The Alliance will follow her. The Empire won’t follow me.”

It was true. Byleth knew, of course, that this was true. If only one of the two could live, it’d be the best bet for the war effort that it was Edelgard. Her twin knew it too, from the way he sternly added the rabbit furs to the fire, allowing for it to grow. Edelgard knew as well. The way her scowl showed in her eyes, not on her lips, _trying_ to be indifferent.

Regardless. _Regardless_ , the professor for the Golden Deer squared her jaw, sitting back, eyes downcast.

“So you think it would be better for everyone… _everyone_ … You forget the uproar that would happen if - what would Nader believe if he was told that you _died_ in a circumstance such as this? Judith alone would be suspicious, but _Nader_ -? If he had even a single doubt as to whether it was the Kingdom or the _Empire_ \- what good would it do if Edelgard finished the war only to find herself a new one with Almyra!”

Edelgard raised herself onto her elbows, staring at the disgruntled woman. “Nader - do you mean Nader the Undefeated? Hubert’s research did bring up such a person as the most dangerous general of Almyra - what does he have to do with Judith, or Claude-?”

“It doesn’t - _forget_ about that, Edelgard, that’s not the point. Judith would understand from a war’s perspective-”

“I’m not _talking_ about a _war’s_ perspective, Claude, I’m talking about the people who love _you_ ! If you think that it would be better for _everyone_ if you were to die here and now in Edelgard’s stead instead of giving you both a fighting chance, I know that your relations with those two are strange at best, but you forget about the rest! Every member of the class would be devastated-”

“-c’mon, Teach, you know that I’m _not_ that important to them-”

“ _I would be devastated!_ You are that important to _me_!”

Very rarely outside of battle did anyone ever hear any of the Eisners shout. To hear the youngest of them do so now, getting to her feet as she clutched cloaks about her frame with white knuckles, was completely unforeseen.

The silence that followed was deafeningly oppressive. No one moved, no one _dared_. When a quiet bird song of high-pitched chirps and whistles filled the air, they watched as Byleth straightened, turning away.

“I need to attend to something. It won’t take more than a minute.”

Within moments, the vessel of the goddess had climbed back up the trunk and out of sight, only her feet showing she was still there. Had she gone out farther, doubtless Byleth would have followed her.

“If you think that I can win the war without you, I’m afraid I have some news. Perhaps, at one time, I would’ve believed such a sentiment. I know now that should something cause for her to oppose me in this fight… well, I wouldn’t say that my victory would be certain. If anything caused her to grow closer to Rhea, this war would become uglier than ever.”

“She’d _never_ -”

“Only because someone was at her side sharing her doubts,” Byleth commented softly, a piece of rabbit meat cooking on his knife over the flame, “Father didn’t trust her, so she obeyed. I didn’t trust her, so she obeyed. Father died. I _left_. All she had left was the Church. The Church, and you students. Only one of your class was bold enough to oppose the Church often and out loud. If you hadn’t remained by her side that month, she likely would’ve become as dependent on Rhea as a suckling newborn to its mother.”

“Listen, Claude,” Edelgard sighed, wincing as she put a hand over her wounded stomach, “I must admit… though it pains me to do so, I respect the decision you made, and I am grateful to have been treated so readily for the poison. Even so, I must admit… we are companions in this fight, if not exactly friends, as of yet, and I find it deeply… let’s use the word _concerning_ , I find it deeply concerning that you considered all this so… detached from the personal level you must have.”

“Don’t call me ‘Master Tactician’ for nothin’, majesty. Even the darkest parts of war need to be thought out.”

“Yet you’re clearly thinking of nothing _but_ the war. Even I consider what I want as a person, not an emperor. Once the war is done, you can’t have nothing - you need to plan for that as well. I know that no matter what happens, so long as Byleth is by my side, I will… continue to move forward, in life. _Happily_.”

Claude stiffly folded his arms, a cross between a groan and a sigh exiting like a breath as he let his gaze drift to the light coming from outside, feet kicking lightly on the trunk of the tree.

“Growing up, my mother was very strict when it came to having eyes on the prize. Fight until it’s over… and then you can think for yourself, and not for your people fighting with you. Don’t waste your time batting your eyes at someone that might not even make it through the war. Of course,” he waved his hand slightly, an odd tone taking over his voice, “she’s a hypocrite entirely in that regard. Leave it to her to make it through a fight and end up head-over-heels for an enemy commander.”

“Then, you admit that you l-”

Edelgard’s prying was interrupted as Byleth slid back into the cave, a small parchment in hand that she hadn’t had before. Instantly, her brother looked up, eyebrows raised at the sight.

“You managed to _contact_ someone-?”

Her eyes drifted up from the paper, full of light as a very small, weary smile turned the corners of her lips.

“When… when I-I was hunting, earlier, I saw a, a bird, and I… I don’t know what possessed me, but I spoke to him, and… and asked him to, to seek out M-Marianne, and it… it worked.”

“Sit by the fire and read it, you’re going to catch your death,” Byleth scolded softly when his twin sneezed again, shivering noticeable. She did as told, smoothing out the small letter as she did.

“It reads… ‘Teacher, on behalf of all of us in your party, we are extremely relieved to hear that the four of you have not yet been taken by the goddess. The rest of us all have been accounted for, though not all has gone as planned since regrouping. I regret to inform you that both Seteth and Flayn’s health have deteriorated drastically overnight and have been showing severe symptoms of hypothermia, despite our best efforts. They will withdraw for the time being once the Daphnel reinforcements arrive. Hilda has warned me that Hubert has grown more violently desperate for Lady Edelgard’s return with each passing second. If you could inform our friend here the status of your group and any nearby landmarks, hopefully Hubert will be able to compare the information with the assumptions he has already made in order to locate all of you sooner rather than later. I wish that I could send you rations or water, but our friend is too small. Sincerely, Marianne von Edmund.’ I told the little cardinal what she asked for, and he… he took off, so… so hopefully, soon, people may actually find us…”

Relief flooded Byleth’s eyes as he wrapped an arm about his sister, pulling her close in a warm hug.

“That reminds me,” Edelgard spoke up, the emperor glancing at the two with barely suppressed fondness, “I wished to let you know, Byleth… I am deeply thankful for your call to use your power to reverse time, yesterday. Understand that it was the right decision and that your resulting exhaustion was more than earned, and you deserve _no_ blame for the outcome of the following skirmish. We owe you our _lives_. The injuries we sustained are the fault of no one but ourselves.”

“I stood idly. You covered for me…”

“Hate to break it to you By, but the enemies didn’t want anything to do with you before _or_ after you started fighting back. There’s a reason why it’s called the _Holy_ Kingdom of Faerghus. Besides, what with how Dimitri is, every last one of them was honed in on Edelgard here. Professor there got thrown about because he tried to protect her. Most of the arrows that got me hit me in the back, so I don’t really remember when I got them, but that damn knife in my calf was definitely a result of me covering the two of them. You’re the one that taught the Deer to cover for your allies, Teach. We haven’t forgotten those lessons.”

At Byleth’s faint pout, her brother took the moment to hand her a piece of the now cooked rabbit meat, a gentle hand coming down to pat her head as he stood. Grabbing one of the capes, he made for the trunk.

“I’ll fetch some snow that we can use for hydration and first aid. Eat. Bickering will get us nowhere.”

In turn, as he left, his twin moved back along the cave wall, bringing more of the meat with her. Silently, she handed a piece to Edelgard, keeping her hand out should she need assistance to sit up. The stubborn Emperor refuted it with some effort and a grunt as she forced herself to do so alone. Next, she carefully forced a chunk of rabbit into Claude’s good hand, precisely shifting to lean against the wall, deceptively close to Claude himself.

The wyvern rider took the risk of recognizing her stiffness and calling her out on it, even as she trained her eyes on the fire, wordlessly eating.

“You’re allowed to lean on me. You need as much warmth as you can get, Teach.”

Her hands dropped to her lap, thumb digging in a little roughly to the rabbit’s flesh. “Your right arm is injured. I won’t. The fire and cloaks are enough.”

Giving a small shake of his head, Claude rolled his eyes - earning a very pointed look from Edelgard - before wrapping the offending arm around her, her back coming to rest against his side as his hand dropped to linger at her waist. He only exhaled once he realized she hadn’t pulled away.

He could push a little more, then.

“You still mad at me, Byleth?” he asked a moment later, voice trepidatiously neutral.

Rightfully so. Edelgard watched as the younger twin’s eyebrow raised, the girl taking a silent moment before responding.

Claude rarely called her by her full name, after all, instead of a nickname of some sort.

Finally, she settled on a response, words dangerously quiet: “I was never mad at you.”

Another pause. “I’m… upset. But not at you.”

If Edelgard had had the ability to stand and pace, goddess knew she would have started by now. Was it truly so difficult to admit care for another? Some time ago, she had believed that she was one of the slowest to admitting her love for her professor, having seen other members of her class move past the fear of rejection and society’s gaze. Hell, it was during their school days that Caspar had _quite_ proudly started marching around, shouting that Linhardt was his boyfriend to _anyone_ nearby, even if the other never really acknowledged it. Petra and Dorothea too had started dating later into the war; Bernadetta later built up the confidence to make it a throuple a couple months later. Ferdinand and Hubert, however… they had _apparently_ hooked up around a year ago, but Edelgard hadn’t found out until a few months before. It took a comprehensive spy network to find any concrete evidence to expose the two, despite Edelgard’s own certainty of what was happening.

(Later, she realized that this could have very easily been avoided if she had approached _Ferdinand_ instead of _Hubert_. When Dorothea told her of how the noble gushed, red as his own hair, this became mockingly clear.)

In the end, Edelgard had only lasted a near week before coming clean with Byleth about her feelings once the man had awoken. The idea that his twin sister and _Claude_ of all people were _still_ dancing around their feelings was…

Well, she definitely now understood why her beloved had spent so much time at the academy sending bouquets in his sister’s name. All of this was, quite frankly, ridiculous.

Granted, the sights of watching Claude attempt to eat a piece of rabbit meat filled with bones with only his nondominant hand, as well as the sight of Byleth dropping unsteadily back into the cave with a cloak _full_ of snow were… similarly ridiculous.

The cloak was dropped to the floor, revealing the massive accumulation of snow that Byleth had managed to gather. Swiftly, he gathered a bunch in one hand, making a beeline toward his beloved and kneeling beside her. The look in his eyes was determined, a look she had begun to recognize as one that said _my sister told me this would work, so I’ll try it now._

Despite these clear warning signs, she still let out a hiss in surprise when he pressed the snow against her worst wound, frozen wetness dripping into the bandages on her abdomen.

Byleth considered getting up to retrieve some snow to drink, but wasn’t sure whether or not she should or if her brother would reprimand her for moving at all. She really was tired, frankly, and the very idea of picking up snow, even if it was to hydrate, made her very core that much colder.

The younger twin was so caught up in her own internal debate as well as the scolds coming from Edelgard for her brother’s lack of tact in bedside manner that she very well near missed the tiny voice aimed at her:

“...hey, Teach? I… I feel like…”

Half-eaten rabbit leg dropped to the floor, Byleth carefully turned, noting the slackness in the arm that had been around her. Claude’s head was dipped forward, a frown on his face and a disturbingly blank glaze over his eyes.

Byleth had, both in unfortunate experiences as well as due to her own shadowing of Manuela, become very familiar with symptoms such as these. The beginning of Ethereal Moon back at the academy had been especially rife with illness and disease as the weather became much colder, especially among some of the students and staff in particular. Manuela had given her warning that while most students would likely fall to trivial things like brief fevers, those who did not grow up in Fódlan were far more likely to contract more serious illnesses with more prominent symptoms, as was discovered when Shamir had joined the monastery’s knights. Cyril, Manuela had confided, was usually an exception to this case; he had still spent much of his childhood in Goneril territory as well as the monastery, so he had suffered through the same plagues all other Fódlan children had gotten in the past.

She had warned her brother as soon as she could, worried for Petra’s health, hardly concerned at all for her own class. After all, her class had more villagers and proper commoners than any other, and growing up as a mercenary she knew that it was poorer folk that much more readily became accustomed to weathering illness. Perhaps some of her nobles would stumble a bit, that was to be expected, but it wasn’t as though any of her students had gotten through the year so far free from such annoyances as the occasional sneeze or cough.

Though the class had been quite miserable for a week or so as bugs came and went, nothing went awry until the week of the White Heron cup. Byleth had known that her students were all a stubborn bunch, but she couldn’t have predicted Claude’s fainting at the end of a lecture.

If only she had known then what she knew now, it could’ve been prevented. She had no warning, then. Fate had a strange way of showing progress.

“Can you hear me, still?” As much as she would have liked to keep her own voice low, as to not attract the others’ attention, that would not help in the slightest in such a situation as this. When the only response she got was the faintest shift in his gaze to her, Byleth raised her hand to cup his cheek, other gripping his good shoulder.

His hand twitched when her own held his face, that was good at least. He could feel her.

“ _Slow_ ,” she spoke softly, drawing the word out as she did. With the most cautious of pushing, she guided him to lie back, thumb gently stroking over the alarmingly clammy yet warm skin, careful to rotate her hold as he went down so that his head didn’t crash into the ground.

The talking behind her had ceased, but she couldn’t pay that any attention at the moment. She felt her own tenseness in her shoulders fade as she watched Claude blink his eyes shut, mouth twisting into a grimace as his left hand entangled itself with the fingers of her right.

“Squeeze if you can hear me, Claude.” Byleth’s tone left no room for argument, and the divine vessel was fractionally pleased when the hand around her own tightened its hold. Still, it took a few moments to get any more of a reply.

“I… sorry about that, ‘leth, I…”

Fully aware that to her back, her brother had likely also relaxed his posture and Edelgard was, by now, rolling her eyes and shaking her head to settle any nerves, Byleth gave a small huff, patting the duke’s cheek one last time before pulling back slightly. “As always, if you must choose to take the difficult path for what you deem the optimal high road, I will not only stand by to critique your choices but take responsibility for the inevitable aftermath. It cannot _always_ be Hi-”

“What I believe your teacher is attempting to say is that even when you make stupid decisions in order to help others, she’ll remain to take care of you, Claude. Forgive me, Teacher, but you and your brother make it far too difficult to understand your kindness at times, so I thought I’d make it simple for our mastermind, here.”

Blinking, Byleth turned to his ex-student, face unreadable. “You’re hardly any better, El.”

“Frankly, as the only one of the four of us that hasn’t yet fainted, I think that I’m allowed to make a few statements.”

Ignoring the commotion behind her, Byleth sighed, smoothing back the sweaty, rumpled curls. “You definitely need to eat some snow. The desert life begs for rain far more than that of a forest…”

“Whatever you say, Teach. Mean it, I’ll do… anything you tell me to, if it’ll make you worry less.”

She held back the sigh that so desperately wanted to escape. Of _course_ he’d say something so ridiculous as that.

Swallowing some snow herself as she grabbed a handful for him, she shrugged her shoulders minutely. “The next time one of us leaves, brother, we need to try and bring back some willow bark. It may help…”

“Hopefully everyone actually _finds_ us before we have to resort to field medicine. It almost always seems to have a drawback, regardless of its use,” Edelgard muttered, letting Byleth fret over her as he so often did, in his own way, “the last thing we need is figuring out one of us has an allergy we didn’t know of prior.”

Byleth could understand her point, but really, there was no need for such concern in the case of Claude. The man had consumed practically every plant easily found in existence, never once stopping to think about whether or not he would be suffering for it. If he had any allergies, he hadn’t informed her, and she knew all of the medical records of the monastery. If _she_ didn’t know and _Manuela_ didn’t know, then it was more than likely that there wasn’t anything _to_ know.

“We’ll see,” she hummed, helping Claude eat the snow in her hand.

Frankly, with the way Claude’s fever had progressed thus far, Byleth feared whether or not he’d make it another day, field medicine or no. _We’ll see_ , she comforted herself again.

Marianne and the others would come soon.


	9. News Travels

They had not moved camp. It was a much-debated call by Shamir, who had decided enough was enough when it came to the bickering of Hubert and Hilda regarding what to do next. The sky was once again beginning to darken, the students and knights milling about aimlessly and gossiping with one another in order to pass the time. Caspar and Raphael brawled unarmed to practice; Alois told Bernadetta his best snow-themed puns to distract her from the war; Felix ran solo drills; Leonie and Ferdinand paid attention to the horses.

Marianne quietly entered the tent where last-minute strategy plans were developed, Ashe with a hand on her back as moral support. Hanneman was nowhere to be found, likely discussing with Linhardt elsewhere the safest fires they could make, Seteth, Flayn, and Alois also missing. Manuela drank ale in the corner as Hubert and Hilda continued to quarrel near Catherine and Shamir.

_ Definitely  _ not wanting to get in the middle of the fighting, Marianne went to Manuela first. “Professor Manuela, how are Seteth and Flayn doing?”

Giving a small shake of her head, Manuela took another generous drink. “Flayn, poor thing, is absolutely terrified. She’s still awake, we’ve gathered as many resources as possible to keep her warm, but the state she’s in… it’s zombie-like. It’s like the cold has frozen her brain. Still, it’s better than Seteth. That obstinate man was  _ so  _ concerned with Flayn’s health that he went and pushed himself until he passed out. His pulse is  _ very  _ slow, it’s almost… it’s almost as though he’s hibernating. Flayn doesn’t seem convinced he’ll wake up any time soon.”

“I see,” Marianne said thoughtfully, averting her gaze. Ashe caught her eyes, half-hearted smile and small shake of his head reminding her not to mention it.

Marianne, devout as she was, was one of the several students who had picked up on the true identities of Seteth and Flayn. It was clear Manuela hadn’t figured it out yet.

It was then that the feuding right-hands of the countries’ leaders seemed to notice her presence. Hilda immediately started for her, but Hubert was faster; he practically teleported to stand in front of her.

“What news do you bring in regard to Lady Edelgard?”

With a shove, Hilda scowled, pigtails bouncing behind her. “Shut up, Hubert! Her Majesty isn’t the only one at stake, here! What about the professors? What about  _ Claude _ ?”

“Um, you see,” Marianne started anxiously, steeling herself a bit more with a gentle squeeze from Ashe on her shoulder, “Teacher wrote back. It appears that… that Edelgard’s leg is broken, and she took a heavy hit to the stomach, but that the vulneraries and faith magic administered has stabilized her. Teacher said she’s suffering from the cold more than anything else, though the way she seemed to put it was that it wasn’t a big deal. Professor Byleth has a concussion, however… and, and as for Claude…

“His leg, arm, and shoulder have all been injured, so he cannot stand nor use Failnaught if need be. What’s… especially concerning is that Teacher stated that… that Edelgard and Claude were both poisoned, but Claude gave  _ her  _ his antitoxin to heal her. So, so Edelgard is no longer poisoned, but Claude…”

She looked down, biting softly at her lip. “Teacher said that his fever is… appalling. She’s scared.”

That brought silence to the already quiet tent. Hilda looked especially affronted, but it was Hubert that spoke next.

“I would not have believed him to be the type so willing to risk his life on behalf of Lady Edelgard,” he mused, resting his chin on his hand, “still… as much as I would have been unbothered by his death in the past, doubtless if such an event could trigger the empire to fall out of your teacher’s favor… and loathe be it for me to admit it, but it appears the Lady Edelgard has gotten moderately attached to him, if not as much as the professor’s twin.”  _ She was certainly more friendly with him now than she had ever been with Ferdinand, back at the academy.  _ “Regardless, Lady Edelgard is injured. I shall triple my efforts to pinpoint their location.”

“I don’t think that Teacher would just… abandon our war effort, if Claude died,” Ashe considered, wary, “not when she’s finally rejoined with her brother, and… Hilda? Are you… okay?”

The girl in question was nearly pink as her hair, eyes sharp and boring into some point beyond the three of them. At Ashe’s gentle question, she gave a growl, her fists clenching up as she practically yelled.

“That  _ dumbass _ ! I’m going to kill him when he gets back here! No,  _ no _ , I won’t even need to! Judith will have his  _ head _ !  _ Ohhh  _ the next time I see him he is going to  _ get _ it!”

“H-Hilda, the next time you see him he’ll likely be ill, and you  _ know _ it was probably for a good cause, in his mind!” Marianne chided, a comforting hand coming to rest on Hilda’s shoulder, “Claude would never intend to suffer if it didn’t mean gaining something he thinks is important. If he chose not to split the antitoxin with Edelgard, there likely was no other  _ way _ -”

“Ohhhoho no, Marianne, your logic isn’t gonna wear me down this time! This absolute  _ idiot  _ shouldn’t - shouldn’t  _ ever  _ intend to suffer regardless of the gain! If this is some sort of nonsense about how things would just be better if he died and not Edelgard -  _ ooh _ I’m going to kick his ass so hard he’ll be tasting my boots!

“Catherine! Shamir!” The two knights looked up and over to Hilda when she turned to them with a  _ very  _ strained smile, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to write a little letter for our reinforcements from Daphnel! Can I trust that it’ll be sent out  _ immediately _ ?”

“Sure,” Shamir shrugged, not at all willing to get wrapped up in this situation any more than she already was, “I suppose… given our situation, we can spare a messenger.”

“It’d be for the best you include something about the state of Seteth and Flayn,” Catherine added, always serious when regarding the church, “to stress that we need people to get here as soon as possible.”

“Very well! Thanks for the information, Marianne~!”

Despite the sweet chirp of Hilda’s voice, Marianne still shuddered as her friend left the tent, shaking her head.

“I… I’ll try to assist you in finding them, Hubert. If we don’t, soon… it sounds like Claude will die before Hilda is able to kill him.”

“Ah, yes, and what an  _ utmost shame  _ that would be. I was rather hoping I’d have Lady Edelgard warmed up and treated before the show began.”

“I just hope we’ll find them soon…”


	10. Ingrid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has a lot of me building on sothis' powers and just,,, vibing. you don't have to agree w some of the things i write of course, everyone's entitled to their own opinions and hcs! <3  
> also cw for seizure for this chapter specifically, big rip i'm sorry y'all

Byleth couldn’t sleep. Something was wrong.

She wasn’t sure for how long she had been lying on the cave floor, mimicking the position she had woken up in: her back fitting in so perfectly with her brother’s, her face against Claude’s chest.

It was warm, yes, but now it almost felt suffocating. At the academy, Manuela taught her to find pulses, and it was the students themselves who really invited her to learn about their own heartbeats. Such was a skill she never really employed on them outside of battle - it did not seem decent for a professor to press an ear to her students’ chests. Instead, she would use it to desperately see if they were alive should they fall.

The only proper exceptions to this were Alois, Seteth, and Raphael. Alois was a bit tricky; his armor made it difficult. Even so, Byleth very clearly remembered when Alois would come to her, or she and her brother both, in nightclothes, trying to get them to sleep more peacefully. There were many hugs. That was when Alois’ heartbeat became a trigger to calm her, if not also her brother. Strong and sturdy, Alois’ heart never faltered, just like the man himself.

Seteth was similar. In the last Lone Moon she had experienced, five years ago, she was more often than not being held closely and hugged by Seteth. If the knights were busy or the students in class, he would remain at her side whenever Rhea was already being duly distracted. She heard Seteth’s heartbeat the most, if she really thought about it, because of his lack of substantial armor and near-constant attention to her wellbeing. Flayn had been the one to tell her that it soothed people to listen to the hearts of others. Part of Byleth felt hurt, that day, when she realized she’d never offer that comfort to another, especially should she have children of her own.

As for Raphael? The student simply loved hugs far too much to avoid this consequence, his size and stature forcing almost everyone’s head to his chest. None of the Golden Deer ever really seemed to mind.

She was used to those strong, certain thuds.

This wasn’t anything of the sort. These were erratic, unsteady, and unfamiliar.

This was the sound she heard when one of her students needed desperate attention from a healer in battle.

Warm as she was, squeezed between the two men, her blood froze to ice.

Against her, she could feel her brother turning around.

“Little flower, what’s wrong? I can feel your trepidation.”

Though his voice still sounded of sleep, Byleth knew he was awake. She sat up fully in turn, trying in vain to ignore the way the arm that had been wrapped around her tightened on her waist, as if afraid she’d leave. Seeing his sister so nervous, Byleth began to prop himself up too.

“The - The heartbeat isn’t right - brother, I need to - I  _ need _ to try and find something to help him, be it some herb or person -  _ now _ .”

Eyebrows furrowing slightly at seeing his twin visibly anxious, Byleth reached up to smooth down her hair, hand coming to rest firmly on her shoulder. There were times, he knew, to assert his authority as the older twin and as a worried sibling, and this wasn’t one of them.

“…If you believe it is necessary, I will not stop you. I would offer to… I would offer to search in your stead, little flower, but I know you have a better eye for these things than me. Just… promise that you will turn back if you fear for your life. If you need to Pulse and I’m not with you, I fear I would not be able to find you out there.”

Concern confirmed by the way he swept her hair back to kiss her ear, an action so soft and familiar that Byleth could easily remember every time Jeralt had done such a thing, she nodded into her brother’s hand.

“I’ll hold to the promise same as you have. I’ll only Pulse when someone has died.”

Not a comforting statement, perhaps, but an honest one. Both knew after all these years together that they needed to bend for each other, lest they’d break.

Cautious, Byleth shifted to stand, carefully removing Claude’s hand from her as she did so. She took one last glimpse of her brother, a small, fond smile on her face when she saw him holding out his coat to her.

She took it.

“Wake up Edelgard soon, and if able, try to cast more healing magic on her leg. The more of us that can walk on our own, the better. If I’m not back by noon, or whenever you see the sun at its highest - I will trust you, as well, to look for me.”

There was pain in his eyes as she turned away, but she could not help him like this. Years ago they trusted each other without even speaking, and it was about damn time they relearned such a feat.

It was with some difficulty that she hefted herself over the tree and into the snowy day once again; her limbs this morning were more sluggish than before, and Byleth knew that if she did not act fast Edelgard would be alone to deal with a corpse and two sleeping like the dead. Judging by the faint light peeking in from the tree tops, it was barely dawn, the softest of pinks painting the sky.

Willow bark. She needed willow bark for the fever, and anything else she could get her damn hands on.

She searched. She searched  _ everywhere _ , but between the cold and her sleepless haze, it was as though she could recognize nothing, not under the layers of ice and snow.

It was… frustrating. It made her chest feel tight, and Byleth wanted nothing more than to  _ fight _ something, someone. Everyone knew her brother was restless when unable to do something concrete to help; the same applied to her, even now.

She felt as though she could do  _ nothing  _ to ease the pain of the one she loved.

That idea only brought her more despair, because it was true. She loved Claude. The immediate budding interest she had taken in him at first sight had planted a seed deep within her heart, and the months of learning him, of knowing him, had only watered the infant blossom. She had let her brother meddle back then because it was  _ innocent _ ,  _ teasing _ , she thought; it was only natural that a sibling poke fun at the matters of the heart of another.

Even so, something had changed, when she woke up nearly two moons prior. Coming face to face with Claude again after so much time had passed, and realizing he was the same person she had grown to care for over time…

There was no doubt in her mind that Byleth had genuinely, truly loved him ever since that moment.

Now, she was going to lose him.

Balling her fists, Byleth could not quash the feeling of… of  _ horrible  _ anticipation that was starting to burn through her core. Something was wrong,  _ worse _ than earlier; something had definitely spiraled downward in the past few hours, if the far bluer sky was anything to go by.

She had nothing to lose by being rash except her own life, and her life was forfeit should Claude die.

She squared her stance, turning to face the direction she knew they had come from, by the lake, when they had gotten lost. Taking a deep breath, folding her brother’s cloak even closer to her, she let out the loudest shout she could manage.

“ _ Alois _ !”

Nothing.

“ _ Seteth _ !”

Nothing.

“ _ Hilda _ !”

_ Nothing. _

“H-Hubert -  _ Hubert _ !  _ Please _ !”

They were hopeless. Thoughtlessly, Byleth turned and punched the nearest tree with all her strength, paying little attention to the soft footsteps advancing toward her in the snow.

It was only when the footsteps stopped did she realize she was not alone.

“I - Teacher Byleth, is that you?”

Byleth turned, eyes misty, to see someone unexpected: green eyes, pale skin, soft blonde hair, someone she often saw at the academy but never had the chance to invite to her class.

“Ingrid?”

Indeed, the pegasus knight stood before her, and the second it truly sunk into her brain, thousands of realizations ran through Byleth at once.

First of all, she was an enemy.

Second of all, despite that, Ingrid’s lance was lowered.

Third of all… she looked  _ concerned _ .

“I heard that a couple of days ago one of our scouting parties had run into a most terrifying group of people,” Ingrid commented, lips tugging at a frown across her face, “the ones who survived seemed to have gone… mad. They claimed to have been attacked by the goddess herself, seeking vengeance. I didn’t believe them in the slightest, but… Here you are. As mysterious as ever, I might add.”

“Why didn’t you kill me?”

If Ingrid was taken aback by the question, she did not show it. “I could ask you the same. Faerghus wants no quarrel with the church, Teacher, you know that. With Lady Rhea missing, you…”

Right. Of  _ course _ . That was why Byleth had wanted herself to be the one going out on her own in the first place.

A terribly risky idea formed in the ex-professor’s mind. It only worsened the horrible feeling in her heart that something was  _ wrong _ .

“Ingrid. Ingrid, I… I won’t mince my words. I  _ beg  _ you to aid me in this moment.”

This brought surprise to Ingrid’s expression. “Excuse me? Teacher, you know that I do not want to hurt you, but  _ aiding _ you-”

The center of panic suddenly surged, and Byleth found herself clutching Ingrid’s free hand. She was shaking.  _ Something  _ was screaming at her to go back to the cave,  _ now _ , before something went even  _ more _ wrong.

“Ingrid, I beg you, please, you have your steed here, you can take to the sky,  _ find my party. _ You must find them and bring them to the near rock formation, you can - you can take my cloak as a sign of peace, for the moment, just  _ lead  _ them here, and we can pretend this never happened, I  _ beg _ ,”

“What’s at the rock formation?” Ingrid asked, voice colder, eyes more serious than before. It was nerve-wracking to see the once completely stoic professor shivering and afraid in the snow.

“Walk - Walk with me, I’ll explain, but I need to - I need to go back, something’s  _ terribly  _ wrong.”

Though she did not know why herself, Ingrid did not let go of the older woman’s hand as she stumbled after her, snapping her fingers for her pegasus to follow.

“Your scouting party - they injured Edelgard, my brother, and Claude, but Claude is - he is  _ poisoned _ , Ingrid, and… and I…”

A large, overturned tree was in the distance, Ingrid’s glance darting between it and Byleth. Though she wanted to dig her heels in, to stop her, there was something about her that made her listen.

“Please, you must understand. The fact alone that the emperor is here means I  _ cannot  _ aid you nor your party. To do anything less than bring back her head upon seeing her - it would be treasonous!  _ Why  _ should I-?”

Just beyond the entrance, if she strained, Byleth could hear voices rapid and worried. She didn’t have the time.

She turned, then, to Ingrid, the young lady almost equal in height to her, and stared her in the eyes, her own unworldly green as sincere and desperate as anything Ingrid had ever seen.

“Because you know that Dimitri is too far gone,” she whispered. “Because you know that even when the war is over, even if he wins, he will never be the person you once knew. Because you know, now, that Felix was  _ right _ , and that Dimitri died nine years ago even if he still walks alongside you today.”

Ingrid’s grip suddenly turned painful on Byleth’s hand, a spark of anger in her eyes.

“How  _ dare _ you bring Felix into this-!”

“ _ Because _ ,” Byleth challenged, tight mouth falling to a pained frown, holding her hand back even more tightly, “Because if you help me now, Ingrid, I  _ swear _ to you that Felix and Sylvain both - they will not fall in this war so long as I live. That I will keep them safe, and whole, and that they will be there when this war  _ ends _ and they will be waiting for  _ you  _ to join them. I  _ swear _ .”

“You  _ can’t  _ swear something like that. You  _ can’t _ .”

“I swear on my father’s grave, Ingrid.”

It was impossible, in that moment, to tell which of the two girls looked more stricken.

The moment was ruined by the sound of the other Byleth Eisner shouting his sister’s name. It appeared he, too, was not above such a dangerous decision in a time of need.

Not looking to see if Ingrid would follow or leave, Byleth scrambled up the trunk as fast as she could without hurting herself.

She felt her soul leave her body at the sight.

Edelgard had moved away from the wall, closer to the fire, and her brother stood halfway between her and…

_ Oh, goddess. _

Claude was having a seizure. The way his arms and legs jerked, sharply hitting against the rocky floor, and the way he didn’t speak, eyes open but  _ not there _ , confirmed it to Byleth within moments.

Manuela had taught her about it before, about how sometimes students came to Garreg Mach with a history of having them, about how they could be caused by any sort of thing, about how you needed to monitor a sick patient’s fever lest it happen-

Within a moment she rushed to his side, carefully avoiding tripping over him until she was sitting next to his head. Softly, she bit out an apology, and then another, cupping her hand under his hair, slick with sweat, and shifting to rest his head in her lap.

“I’m  _ sorry _ ,” she whispered once more, using what strength she had left to force her hand under his right shoulder, pushing to move him onto his side, even as his body involuntarily spasmed against her.

Then, next: “How  _ long _ has this been happening?”

“It only started before Byleth called for you - we could hear you outside, speaking to someone, when… when  _ this _ …”

Even Edelgard was at a loss for words. Byleth kneeled beside her, a gentle hand on her shoulder. “El, it’s okay. You’re safe. Claude will be, too. It’s not happening again.”

Byleth turned her gaze away from them, if only for a moment, unable to bear witness to something so private.

What she found herself looking at was a horrified looking Ingrid, standing just inside the cave.

“ _ Please _ .”

Byleth couldn’t be certain if Ingrid heard her broken plea, but in return she got the smallest of nods, and her departure.

The next several minutes were agonizing. Byleth tucked Edelgard’s head against his chest, not letting her watch as they sat in silence. He wanted, he  _ terribly  _ wanted to ask his sister to stop humming that dreadful song of Rhea’s under her breath, but he knew it would do no good to ask of such. It was a coping mechanism by now, and there was nothing to be done.

He certainly didn’t need his sister to confirm that it had been going on for longer than was safe.

Yet, as all things must, it slowly came to an end. Byleth continued to softly smooth out the rumpled curls, repetitive motion as soothing for her as him, she hoped. With as much tenderness as she could, she reached forward to position his right arm more comfortably, worried how the spasms may have furthered his injuries, before bending down to press a kiss to his temple, one she knew she would not be able to brush off so easily to the two onlookers as she had with the one to gauge his fever.

She didn’t want to hide her feelings any longer, anyways, however good she was at it in the first place.

(Even when she had kissed his chest but the morning before, he hadn’t told her to stop because he didn’t like it. No, he warned her that her brother might see.)

His breathing was unsteady, reminding her of the erratic heartbeat she had woken up to, and Byleth gently took her other hand down to rub along his back, careful to avoid the arrow wounds.

All it took was a gasp and weak voice to grab everyone’s attention.

“B… Byle…?”

“It’s okay, you’re okay, I’m  _ so sorry _ , I should never have flown from the nest without checking for cats-”

“Sister,”

Byleth winced at her brother’s gentle reprimand, reminding her that now was not the time to work herself up to the point of not being able to be understood. She sorted her jumbled thoughts, trying again.

“I should n-not have… should not have left you, not w-without, without knowing if you would be  _ okay _ .”

A soft sigh, even as he tried to sit back up Byleth only firmly kept him down.

“Don’t. Claude,  _ please _ . Your fever’s too high, you had a  _ seizure. _ ”

Those green eyes, always so secretive and calculating, were nothing but exhausted and confused when he looked up at her, even as his gaze turned to worry, as if he had any damn right to be  _ worried _ for  _ her  _ when he had just gone through  _ this _ .

_ I’m crying _ , the back of her mind registered,  _ I’m crying again, and I’m scaring him. _

A halting movement brought his shaking hand up to one of her own, eyes falling shut again.

“Hey… listen, By… I’m… I’m hurt, but I’m with you. I’ll always be with you.”

Byleth wanted to scream. She wanted to get up and fight an army. She wanted to feel her hands on Rhea’s neck because somehow,  _ somehow _ , all of this was her fault, in the end.

Instead, Byleth wiped away a tear that had fallen from her chin to Claude’s cheek, she leant down, and kissed the same spot.

“ _ Please _ sleep, Claude. Rest, I beg of you. I won’t leave you again.”

She took his lack of answer and faintly deeper breaths as obeying her.

Byleth was only able to drag her attention away from him when her brother broke the silence.

“Sister… why did you bring  _ Ingrid _ here.”

The dam holding back her hysteria practically burst open, words falling out of Byleth’s mouth in a way they so rarely did.

“I swore on father’s grave that - that I would keep Sylvain and Felix alive, if it meant she’d, she’d commit treason by aiding us, by leading the others to us. Oh,  _ goddess _ , if the Daphnel reinforcements have arrived by then Judith will have our  _ heads _ for this-!”

“My apologies,” Edelgard interrupted, eyes haunted in a way her face tried to mask, “but you and Claude have both been too loose-lipped and not enough. You keep bringing up Judith, Hero of Daphnel, a women wide-revered, as well as… what was it? Nader the Undefeated, a notorious Almyran general? What sort of relation could Claude possibly have to either of the two aside from sovereign duke and mortal enemy? Would this Judith be angry at us simply because of the endangerment of her overall duke, or-?”

“Claude mentioned while you were out, yesterday, something about his parents. It struck me as odd, he doesn’t ever mention them,” Byleth added, surprising Edelgard slightly. She nodded to him in agreement.

“Indeed. He said that his mother… had fallen in love with an enemy commander during a fight. Teacher, forgive me, but from what I know of Leicester’s history based on Hubert’s studies, never was it mentioned that the late Duke Riegan’s daughter ever took part in any major skirmish between noble houses. In fact, her entire history went cold after a mention of her wedding into another noble house shortly before her brother became duke.”

“Claude’s parents… are not legally wed.”

Edelgard blinked at the quiet admittance, both surprised and not that the younger twin was willing to offer up any information.

An idea was beginning to form.

“Hubert once told me that the Hero of Daphnel got her title from a resounding victory she led against the forces of Almyra. That her strength alone was enough to drive back most of the army until their general called for them to retreat. And later, that she went missing for quite a long time before returning to Daphnel. Is it possible that Claude’s mother, daughter of Duke Riegan, had been part of such an attack? Was she a close acquaintance of Judith? Did she disappear with her and fall in love with the  _ Almyran _ general-?”

“No.”

Edelgard was stunned silent by Byleth’s swift, flat answer. She watched as she looked down at Claude, a million emotions hidden in those eerie eyes of hers, before speaking again.

“Claude’s mother did not fight alongside Judith.”

“If that is the case, then-”

“Claude’s mother  _ is  _ Judith.”

When there came no response, Byleth sighed, managing to pull her attention to the shocked faces looking back at her.

“Judith, hero of Daphnel, married into the Daphnel house. She was born Judith von Riegan,” she started, fondly combing back Claude’s hair as she did, “She led an impressive defense against invading Almyran forces led by  _ the  _ most feared general, Nader the Undefeated. When they found that they could match each other in skill they fell in love before the battle ended. She chased him back to Almyra. They eloped… and no one in Fódlan, to this day, has any idea that Judith was unfaithful to the man she married for the sake of politics.

“Claude was born in  _ Almyra _ . He was raised in  _ Almyra _ . He only ever came to Fódlan because without an heir to house Riegan, the Alliance would have collapsed.  _ That  _ is why not even some of the Golden Deer trusted him.  _ That  _ is why he believes in this cause. He wants to break down the barriers separating the land he has always known and the one he is now called upon to rule.”

“So  _ that _ is why he was so easily able to get word of Almyran reinforcements,” Edelgard mused, glancing briefly to the prone figure across from her, “it was… maddening, to say the least, for Hubert to attempt that puzzle. Almyra and Leicester are fated enemies, so to have the new leader of the Alliance be the son of their most prized general…”

Byleth winced slightly, shoulders sinking as she looked away. “Nader is not only the best Almyran general, Edelgard. Nader is their  _ king _ .”

Unable to help it, Edelgard brought a hand to cover her open mouth, Byleth’s eyes widening substantially at the now-known secret. A series of epiphanies crossed Edelgard’s face before she spoke again.

“So when you said that Nader and Judith would be upset, it was not simply because of politics, but also because he is their  _ son _ ,”

“Correct.”

“Even still, when you made a point of Judith and Nader being more than suspicious should he die to save me, with minimal witnesses, in what could easily be assumed to be an assassination covered up by the Empire - it wasn’t a worry of the rumors that would spread unease amongst the Alliance nobles, was it? It was the possibility that suddenly the Almyran  _ prince _ would dead on foreign soil at the cost of saving the emperor’s life, leading to  _ another _ country entering this war  _ against _ us-”

“Yes,” Byleth murmured, shaking her head slightly to herself, “Claude is Nader’s only child. Should he die here, I have no doubt in my heart that Almyra would raise an army against the Kingdom and Empire both.”

That made one fact extremely clear to both the twins and Edelgard, if they did still have different reasons for it.

_ Claude must not fall here. _

Byleth noted with an ache in his chest that his sister’s hands had started shaking again. She knew the unasked question.

“To… to have a seizure for so long, from a fever so high… the likelihood of being able to survive for much longer is… is… much less living  _ without  _ some sort of permanent damage to his health…”

Her trailing off gave to a dangerous glint in her eyes, voice low when she looked back up.

“I… I need to pulse, brother, I don’t… I don’t  _ care _ if I sleep for a millenia, so long as he lives, it will be… it will be  _ worth  _ it. If I had simply stayed… or come back sooner…”

“Absolutely  _ not _ ,” Byleth frowned deeply, shifting to sit up straighter, “even if you did such, you would miss the opportunity of Ingrid, and then where would we be? We have no idea how near or far the others are. You… You simply don’t  _ understand _ , sister, allow me to speak for him, for Claude, when I say that he… he  _ and  _ I, more truly, will not truly live if you slumber in a world separate from us for the rest of our lives.”

“He, he can’t… I  _ love _ him, brother.”

“I know. He loves you, as well.”

Her breathing hitched as more tears gathered in her eyes, a shaken version of humming coming to replace her words. Her twin stiffened, small frown at the revived melody, despite the concern written across his face.

“Please, sister… little flower, I know, I know you are hurting, but… no song of Rhea’s should ever bring comfort to you, I beg, any other song, you could sing aloud to your heart’s content, but please, don’t give whispers of Rhea’s.”

“It’s  _ not _ Rhea’s,” she bit back, an old argument stirring in her mind, “it’s  _ not _ , let me  _ be. _ The song was written by Sothis, just because we heard  _ Rhea  _ sing it does not make it  _ hers _ . It’s practically a  _ lullaby _ brother, there is no harm in it or anything of Sothis-”

Byleth stopped, and her brother was left silent next to Edelgard as he saw an idea flicker across her mind.

“It’s a song written by  _ Sothis _ .”

The whisper did not soothe his worries in the slightest, especially when her gaze lifted back to him, a newfound determination mixed recklessly with anxiety more than present.

“Do you remember the second time we heard the song?”

His predictions seemed to be coming true in the worst way.

She took his silence as a yes, correctly, and brought a trembling hand up to her chest. “When you woke, Rhea was singing it to me as I tried to wake. She was  _ healing _ us, brother. Catherine, too, once mentioned that after sustaining a terrible wound, she woke to the sound of Rhea singing. Brother, what  _ if _ -”

“Rhea’s song does  _ not _ contain the powers to perform extreme faith magic.”

He allowed himself a grimace when he watched her flinch back, knowing he had only made her more determined.

“If  _ Sothis’  _ song does not contain such power, as you say, then there is no harm in me  _ singing it _ to… to relieve some of my anxiety. Unless… Unless you mean that you could not bear me even whisper this song, even though you may be right and it does  _ nothing _ but bring me comfort. My comfort is not worth your hesitance?”

He was backed against a wall, the nail in his coffin being the genuinely upset tears still threatening to drop from his sister’s eyes.

Byleth could deny her nothing, even as her calm voice took up an eerily familiar tune, her arms still haloed around Claude’s head.

_ “In time’s flow, see the glow… of flames ever burning bright. On the swift… river’s drift, broken memories alight…” _

He tried not to watch as a spectacular, fire-like light started pulsing from his sister’s hands at the beginning of her first note. Even so, no matter how he looked away, the blinding glow seared through his eyelids, and he knew that beside him Edelgard was shielding her own eyes.

A second passed, nothing happened. His sister did not even seem aware of the light encasing her hands.

Then, everything went white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen i'll go to my grave w nader and judith as claude's parents it's such a vibe and honestly when i played GD route that's all they came across as so!!!  
> hope you're enjoying!


	11. Found

“ _ Where is he! _ ”

The loud shout easily shot through the camp as a woman broke through whatever ranks of soldiers were awake, long ponytail swinging with her pace. Caspar and Lorenz jumped up from the fire where they stood to accost the intruder, but while Caspar made way with forcing his gauntlets on, Lorenz blanched, taking a hesitant step back.

Caspar simply raised his fists to her as she turned on them, eyes sharp and scowl clear as day despite the weak morning light. “Hey! You can’t just barge into an army camp! Who do you think you are?!”

He was completely ignored.

“J-Judith! Well met!”

In return to Lorenz’s raise of hands in surrender, Judith snarled, pressing a pointed finger to his chest. “Listen here,  _ Gloucester boy _ , I don’t have any time for your bitching. I got Hilda’s letter and  _ ran _ here, so where the  _ fuck _ is Claude?”

“ _ Hey _ , back off! We don’t have to tell you anything if you’re just gonna start a fight!” Caspar growled, shifting to put himself between Judith and Lorenz.

Wincing, Lorenz shouldered him away before Judith could get her hands on him. “Caspar  _ don’t  _ \- this is the admirable Lady Judith Daphnel, the Hero of Daphnel - one does not simply  _ tell  _ her to back off-!”

“ _ Whoa _ , whoa, whoa, hey, let’s settle down!”

Hilda burst onto the scene, still in the clothes she wore to sleep, wedging herself between Judith and the boys. At the sight of Claude’s best friend, Judith seemed to tone down her bristling, if only a little.

“ _ There  _ you are -  _ where  _ is he, don’t tell me all of you have been sitting on your asses doing  _ nothing _ !”

“We don’t have a  _ choice _ !” Hilda placated, clasping her hands, “We’ve only got an approximate location for where they might have  _ been _ ; we were planning on marching to that area today, once your troops showed up! It’s been two days since we last had an idea of where they were, and-”

“We don’t have  _ time _ to wait for my men, why do you think I came  _ alone _ ? To hell with all these uncertainties - point me in a damn direction and I’ll find them!”

“You’re gonna have to try and get it out of Hubert-”

“Did someone require my presence?”

Hubert appeared before them as though he was the devil himself, summoned, hasilty pulling on his typical cloak with a frantic light in his eyes. He didn’t even give the others a moment to reply.

“I woke to the  _ strangest _ feeling - like the magic of one of the professor’s Divine Pulses, but almost a different wavelength… and  _ intensely  _ powerful. It’s lingering, so if we go now, it will be easy to find Lady Edelgard and the others - and I  _ will _ be going now, regardless of the rest of you.”

“Finally, someone around here with the right  _ priorities _ .”

Not all of their party could go to recover their leaders, the very idea was ridiculous. The reinforcements hadn’t shown up yet, and likely wouldn’t for at least another hour, so there was no way for them to pack up camp while keeping Seteth and Flayn safe. Perhaps it would be for the best - judging by the information Marianne had received, Edelgard and Claude, at the  _ very  _ least, would need immediate care.

As it was, Raphael, Marianne, Linhardt, Sylvain and Lysithea were roused and set to join Judith, Hubert, Hilda, and Caspar in the search for their friends - Lorenz choosing to remain behind, unsurprisingly. Raphael was keen on coming if only because he insisted he’d be needed to carry people back, though Sylvain thought a bit further and brought his horse for that matter.

It wasn’t exactly easy going. Even with Hubert’s vague guidance as to the direction of where the outbursts of magic came from, between the cold and the landscape seeming to look the same no matter where they went it was easy to get turned about. The sights they saw along the way were daunting, to say the least.

A sooty spot where trees had fallen, snow and ice still stained black from the fire. Ordinarily, they would have thought nothing of such a display, but knowing it brought them closer to their missing comrades was foreboding.

Then there was the lake. Hubert readily identified it as where the trace of the Pulse had been used, which was… terribly concerning, to be true. For a Pulse to come from the middle of a vast, frozen lake… it seemed all too easy a death trap, for his tastes.

(Perhaps, had he been with them, they could have avoided whatever fate they met?)

But from this point, the signals from past magics were crossing. To go across the lake would be foolhardy at best, and to the side was simply a sheer rock formation, doubtless a fruitless search. There was an open area with old, frozen blood spotting the land, as well as blood leaving trails that disappeared into snow drifts. Their landscape was not on their side in this search.

Hubert would scour every possible hiding place.

He didn’t have to.

The sound of wingbeats overhead gave away to the view of a pegasus dropping down to their area, blonde hair a sight unfamiliar at first glance.

Sylvain was the one to rush forward, not allowing Hubert the chance to strike the woman down.

“ _ Ingrid?! _ ”

Without even considering that she was on the enemy’s side, Sylvain took the flier into a tight hug, Ingrid for once not fighting it. In fact, she hugged him in return, out of breath.

“ _ There  _ you are! I’ve been searching high and low for your company for ages now! I must show you where they’re hidden - hurry, Claude’s - last I was with them, he was having a, a seizure-!”

“ _ What! _ ” Judith snapped, eyes bright with fury as she rested a hand on her sword’s hilt. “How do you know all of this, Kingdom brat?”

“I concur with Lady Daphnel,” Hubert scowled, hands at the ready should things go south, “What business have you with the heads of our company, Galatea? Here to lead us astray so that her majesty and the others freeze to death? A likely barbaric scheme of the Kingdom…”

“Would you just take the damn chance to  _ listen _ to me?” Ingrid returned, green eyes shining with a desperation unlike herself, “I happened upon Teacher Byleth when she went to look for help, and as interim archbishop the Kingdom has  _ no _ qualms with her!  _ I  _ made the decision to trust her as she trusted me when she  _ begged _ for aid, I followed her, I saw them - she made a deal that I couldn’t refuse. She - She knew the one thing that could earn my sympathy, and she  _ swore on Sir Jeralt’s grave _ . If I wasn’t intending to help them - then I could have simply turned tail and reported their whereabouts to his highness!  _ Why  _ would I waste my time doing anything else!”

Sensing a brewing fight, Sylvain stepped out, an arm between Ingrid and the approaching predators of Judith and Hubert. “Let’s settle down - listen, I know you’re not going to like this, but I - I trust Ingrid. She’s right, if she wasn’t going to help she wouldn’t risk her ass doing anything more than telling his highness and returning to her duties. Now, I don’t know what sort of fancy thing Teacher would’ve sold out, but… it’s not as important as getting to the others as soon as we can.”

“Hold a moment. What did she promise you? Does it hinder our cause in any way?”

Hubert nodded at Judith’s question, reasonably suspicious. Ingrid, a faint pink tinge peppering her cheeks, forced a sigh.

“I - I can see why that would be important knowledge for you, but - but it’s, it’s a personal wish.”

“A personal desire strong enough to let you turn your back on your own prince?”

“If you  _ must _ know, at least - at least let us move forward, first, I can… I  _ suppose _ I can tell you in  _ secret  _ if it will quench your desire for such trivial information.”

Pinching his nose, Hubert agreed. “If only to get closer to Lady Edelgard and waste less time.”

Upon hearing the truth, after Ingrid started them off in the right direction once again, Hubert could not help but consider it. Selling herself to aid her foe for… the safety and care of childhood friends?

He could scoff. If that had been the correct matter, he would have found it rather lackluster, weak-willed. Instead, he  _ understood _ , a faint image of orange curls and a bright smile flickering over his vision.

In her position, perhaps he, too, would commit a minor act of dishonesty if only to protect the one he loved most, knowing it would not hinder his liege’s case.

(Perhaps he had grown too soft for war. He somehow could not bring himself to care.)

Regardless, he didn’t miss the way Sylvain’s eyes lingered on her, a hand at the small of her back as she made small attempts at conversation. The words started and ended abruptly in a hesitant fashion of speaking, cutting off abruptly at last when Ingrid straightened, the sight of a massive rock formation before them, picture completed by the felled tree.

“It’s here - behind this tree. That’s where they are.”

As if to demonstrate, Ingrid made a start to climb the trunk, prompting a squint and look of disbelief from Linhardt. “You’re joking. There’s hardly enough room for a person to squeeze through that gap, much less for anyone to reliably move someone in a precarious state of health.”

“And that’s if they’re even  _ actually _ behind that abomination,” Judith muttered, skeptical. Caspar, it seemed, had had quite enough of the lingering negativity, loud voice filling the air:

“Come on, what are we waiting around for! Our friends need  _ help _ , huh? This is the best lead we’ve got!”

As though heard by the goddess herself, a shout could be heard, muffled by wood.

_ “Caspar! Byleth, you heard that, right-?” _

That was enough for Hubert: “If need be, simply set it on fire, that’ll get rid of it.”

Lysithea fixed Hubert with an incredulous stare, shaking her head, “ _ What _ ?! No, absolutely not, you fool! A fire that large would only attract  _ real  _ enemies, not to mention the potential harm it could bring to the others! If what Ingrid said is true and Claude really  _ did _ have a seizure, smoke inhalation is  _ not  _ going to benefit that situation at all!”

“ _ Ohh _ would you all just shut  _ up _ !” Hilda cried, bringing Freikugel up over her shoulder and, without warning, bringing it down on the trunk.

“A-Ah! That’s a good idea, Hilda!” Marianne softly exclaimed, watching the relic bite in deeply to the wood. She was nowhere  _ near  _ as strong as Hilda, she knew this well, but Blutgang was a magic sword, so perhaps…

Barely waiting for Hilda to wrench her weapon back, Marianne brought her sword down against the already smoldering dent. Red sparks erupted upon the hit, nearly splitting the tree in half.

“Amazing! C’mon, Hilda, give it one more hit!” Raphael encouraged, in awe of the much smaller girls’ power. Giving a long groan, Hilda did as asked, not bothering to mention that she would only ever do it  _ this once _ , just for Claude and their teacher.

The angry cracking sound the tree made when fully splitting was enough for Caspar to dart forward, squeezing between the pieces. “Raph, let’s muscle this apart!”

A smile took up the blond’s face as the two heavy-hitters pushed one half away, opening a sizeable gap to reveal a small cave.

To be honest, Ingrid especially had been expecting the picture she had painted of what was happening when she left. To see Edelgard awkwardly sitting near an actively growing fire, hands out as though she was the one causing it to increase while Claude sat against the rock wall, head in his hands in a show of exhaustion was  _ not  _ at all what had been in mind - the sight of Byleth with his sister’s body half in his lap, covered in every cloak and coat they had with them, anxiously keeping her near the fire, was the  _ most  _ unexpected part. Marianne did not hesitate darting forward to the twins, anxiety clear upon her face.

“I thought - I thought that Teacher was the one  _ holding things together _ ! She never mentioned anything truly harming her-!”

“This is a recent development,” Edelgard spoke out, voice strained as though trying to mask something akin to panic. “We’re learning more and more about the extent of her enhanced abilities every day.”

A weak excuse, really, but it would do for now until any of the four were more willing to talk. Hubert hovered over Edelgard as Linhardt prepared to heal her, Lysithea and Judith instead splitting to go to Claude.

“Hey, idiot, what are you doing sitting up!” Lysithea scolded, prying a hand away from his face. “With what we’ve been  _ told _ you should at least be  _ trying  _ to rest, don’t make it harder than it needs to be! Do you  _ want  _ to die?”

Green eyes blinked, looking past Lysithea to settle on Judith, the older woman trying and failing not to puff up like an enraged bird. When he wordlessly held out a hand, she took it, pulling him to stand.

“You’re a damned  _ fool _ , boy,” she shook her head, scrutinizing him minutely. “What sort of  _ miracle  _ did the goddess pull off to have you so fine and dandy after a, a-  _ Sothis _ , you hardly even have a fever!”

At Judith’s exclamation, Lysithea practically jumped to get a hand to Claude’s face, eyes widening comically. “What?! There’s no  _ way  _ that Teacher would have lied about-”

“She didn’t  _ lie _ ,” Claude groaned, swatting the young girl’s hand away, finally taking his own from Judith’s clutch. “I’m… still not one-hundred percent sure what happened. I think… By healed me? Mostly, anyways. Cleansed most of the poison, I think… that’s what her majesty thinks. Still… dizzy? And the other wounds still feel like fire, but… somehow, an improvement, for sure.”

He didn’t have time to brace himself before Hilda was upon him, the girl taking a split-second to glance between his shoulders before choosing to punch him on the left, uninjured one.

“When we get you back to camp you’re gonna get an antitoxin and the lecture of your  _ life _ ! What the fuck were you thinking?! What kind of idiot chooses to throw his life away like that! When Marianne gave us Teacher’s message - you  _ scared  _ us, you dumb asshole! You’re gonna  _ get it! _ ”

“I think that’s enough of that, Goneril,” Judith cut off, a half-hearted glare shot to the smaller woman, “that’ll be  _ my  _ job, as the duke’s foremost advisor. Trust me, I’m not about to let him off easy.”

“Yeah,  _ sure _ , advisor,  _ right _ .”

“What’s  _ wrong _ with her, Marianne?”

Sylvain’s voice was cautious, always gentle with the reserved healer. The fire in his palm gave a much more controlled light than Edelgard’s, providing Marianne with a proper environment to see in. The blue haired healer bit her lip, giving a small shake of her head.

“Everything seems  _ physically  _ in order… I… it feels like whatever put Seteth to sleep, but…  _ stronger _ . Heavier… instead of slipping into the water, it’s like being pulled to the bottom of the lake…”

“Don’t talk about lakes,” Byleth bit, a near queasy look on his face. “She… I can’t claim to fully understand it. I almost… I almost  _ wish  _ Rhea was here, if only because she  _ might  _ know… she sang a song that we heard Rhea sing before, even though she said she did not believe it had any magical power… and it, it was almost as though…”

“Do you… think she, uh… did she give… give her life force, or something? Maybe it was just a strong faith magic, but…”

Marianne glanced up at Raphael briefly before turning her attention back to the snow-pale ex-professor, absolutely dwarfed in the amount of blankets she had around her. “If Flayn is coherent, perhaps she will know. It would be… very beneficial to have Saint Cethleann’s opinion, but that’s only if she hasn’t met the same weary fate… Raphael, it’d be best for you to carry Teacher back. It’ll be warmer and gentler than putting her on horseback.”

“I’ll let the emperor take my horse, then,” Sylvain returned with a nod, “I don’t doubt Linhardt’s faith or anything, but even healing can’t fully fix up a broken bone that fast.”

“What are we waiting for?” Linhardt yawned, giving a small stretch as he turned to face the others. “It’d be smarter overall to give treatment back at  _ camp _ . If we dispense all our faith out here, with a mess like  _ this  _ you’re going to have even more people in need of being carried back.”

“If that is the case, allow me to assist you, your majesty,” Hubert offered, easing Edelgard up to lean on him, ginger on her leg. One hand going to her stomach where the worst of her wounds lingered, Edelgard glanced away, briefly looking across the room before back to Hubert, voice low.

“Teacher Byleth was kind enough to fill in the holes of our research regarding Claude’s ancestry.”

An eyebrow slowly raised, Hubert looked down to his liege. “Is that so? Fascinating. Were we correct to assume he was an accidental bastard of his House? It would be a  _ shame  _ if that discredited his leadership in this war…”

“No,” Edelgard shook her head, voice a little harsher than it needed to be, “actually - well,  _ yes _ , Hubert, you are in part correct, he  _ is  _ the illegitimate, only son… of Duke Riegan’s daughter and an Almyran general, as we discussed.”

“How dreadful. It appears that Gloucester rat may have been right all along to question his validity - the late duke’s grandson or not, the idea that some Almyran may have indeed abducted the daughter of Riegan would be  _ quite  _ a scandal-”

“Hubert, his parents are the Hero of Daphnel  _ and the Almyran King. _ ”

Cold air biting at their exposed skin, Hubert stopped where he and Edelgard had been walking, looking back to the cave to watch as Judith and Hilda both helped the man in question exit, any weight on his bad ankle causing a hiss of pain. Marianne had an arm entangled with their professor’s while his sister had been bundled cautiously into Raphael’s arms; Ingrid was already long gone, if Sylvain’s wistful look had any meaning to it.

Gold eyes met lavender ones, narrowing slightly as they both restarted their approach to the waiting horse. “What you mean to say is that if the buffoon had died here… the Empire would likely have  _ another  _ enemy in this war?”

“Indeed.”

A long, ever-weary sigh escaped Hubert as he helped boost Edelgard into the saddle.

“So the challenge doubles, then. We cannot have the Fódlan civil war grow into one with foreign nations - Brigid is already nearly dragged in, aside from Duscur’s complete subjugation. From what I’ve read, the Almyrans are a warrior people - to have them all united under one cause against the Empire would be disastrous.”

“We knew from the beginning that allying ourselves with Claude would not make this any easier, despite our strength in numbers. This simply… seals the condition, for us.”

“So I take it you’re attempting to inform me that… we must abandon any and all plans and hopes to ditch the Alliance. How bothersome.”

“It is for the Empire, after all.”

“Yes, of course, my lady. For the Empire even I will attempt to preserve the life of such a fool as Claude von Riegan. Now we must wish only for a recovery of the professor’s sister, lest all that work be for nothing; her death unraveling the Alliance and her brother both.”

“Ha, she’ll pull through,” Edelgard smirked, hand reaching to settle upon the reins of the horse, “of that, I have no doubt. Say what we may about the Golden Deer, there’s one trait that every one of them shares with our own peers, even their teacher.”

“And what might that be, Lady Edelgard?”

A slow shake of her head, Edelgard glimpsed the golden members nearby.

“They simply don’t know when to quit. Those deer are every bit as stubborn as the eagles: they aren’t about to  _ die _ without a proper fight.”


	12. Warmth

Frankly, given the circumstances, things seemed to be going rather well. While several of them evacuated Faerghus to return back to the monastery, hopeful that all weakened individuals would heal and rest better there and not in the continued cold, those who remained behind had, so they heard, dealt a swift victory against those causing trouble to the north. It’d still be another day at the least before they returned to the monastery, but that was fine by Claude. It was nice, for once, having the place quiet.

By the end of the day when they had returned, the professor of the Black Eagles had been thoroughly checked by an overbearing Manuela and far more lackadaisical Linhardt, but he escaped with a clean bill of health. No lasting trauma from whatever head injuries he sustained, always good news.

It was well into the next morning before he or Edelgard felt comfortable enough to move about on their own, however. Faith magic wasn’t perfect, but it did add a lot of help to healing bodies. Edelgard’s leg was still fragile and her stomach tender, but so long as she did not go about recklessly and conserved her energy, she seemed to bear no ill side-effects. As for himself, Claude’s shoulder still felt tight, angry whenever he attempted to draw his bow. His leg was hardly any better, the scarring wound sending an ache up his shin should he put too much strain on his ankle.

Every time the healers spoke to him it was like a broken record. Manuela, Linhardt, and Marianne all said the same damn thing whenever they looked in on him:

_ “To sustain such little damage from such traumatic events, you’re quite a lucky man, aren’t you? I suppose the goddess herself has taken a shining to you!” _

_ “To think you endured a seizure from temperature and yet offer no long-lasting brain damage to be found… frankly, it’s absurd. Nothing I’ve ever read could have prepared me for such an odd case. Be it luck or some sort of miracle, it seems that the goddess has an eye on you.” _

_ “To believe that whatever Teacher did could heal so much! I must say, Claude, you should be honored - it’s as though the goddess herself has decided to be your guardian angel!” _

Just thinking about it made him so… so  _ frustrated _ . He could let Marianne slide, the girl was dear to him and so devout that this was common to hear from her, but Manuela and Linhardt, too?

It was almost like they were mocking him. Claude wasn’t even  _ religious _ . When it came to the goddess Sothis of Fódlan he didn’t waste any time putting belief in that bullshit.

But his teacher? The interim archbishop and supposed vessel of that goddess? Lady Byleth Eisner, ex-professor, ex-mercenary, one of the once-revered Ashen Demons?

Claude had every ounce of faith he could muster in  _ her _ .

And she was where his problem lay. Flayn had perked up considerably ever since leaving the kingdom, finally agreeing to sleep so long as someone stayed by her side. After a good amount of rest, she was able to join the others in caring for those still sleeping. But even  _ Seteth  _ had woken up yesterday, and though the saint was still gathering his bearings even now, that was more than could be said about the younger Eisner twin. She looked absolutely tiny in her bed back in her quarters, covered in her brother’s blankets as well as her own. Byleth himself hardly left their room, too busy fretting over her and trying to help in any way possible.

The looks both Seteth and Flayn had given when the situation had been explained were of no use to dwell upon. Flayn had looked absolutely shattered, terrified of the possibilities. Seteth had just looked even more tired than before, seemingly aging centuries in the span of a few moments before shaking his head and telling them not to worry. In confidence, Seteth had calmingly tried to alleviate Byleth’s doubts, pulling back the hands of time to give his own opinion.

_ “…It is true that Mother sang such a lullaby when she was still alive. We children of hers had always believed there to be some magical quality of it, yes, but never did it drain her so. Perhaps it is due to your sister’s nature as only a vessel for the power… but even so, I do believe it is only compounded by the cold she was exposed to. She will not sleep for so long again.” _

Well, they were still waiting. Claude hated waiting. It wasn’t exactly a skill he was  _ good  _ at.

Especially when he felt like he was the one at fault for how Byleth was now.

“My goodness, your highness, what heavy thoughts weigh on your head at this time of day?”

Claude snapped back to attention, turning to see the small figure of the Adrestian Emperor next to him, her eyes betraying an amused, if not concerned, spirit. Slowly, her words caught up to him, and he quickly dismissed the idea.

“Highness? You must be imagining things,  _ majesty _ . If Hilda’s told you any strange gossip, I think you’d be better off ignoring it.”

“Hilda didn’t tell me anything of the sort. Besides, it’s only fair that I give you some payback for all the teasing you subjected me and Dimitri to.”

“Hard to really do that when there’s no reason to call me  _ highness _ -”

“Claude. Drop it. Hilda didn’t tell me, your teacher did. She told me and her brother while you were unconscious.”

This was the part where she tricked him into admitting his parentage, right? If only. The serious look in her eyes only confirmed that she already knew, and was not lying.

He should’ve known. Letting the playful smile drop, he scratched at the back of his neck, glancing away from the earnest woman.

“That’s By for you. She’s… not great at keeping secrets. I’m surprised you’re the only people she’s told.”

“I’m certainly glad she told us, you know. If Judith had any suspicions, they would have most  _ certainly _ been passed to King Nader. I wish I could say that I’m shocked by how reckless you acted, but unfortunately, as it is, I’m not in the slightest. I told Hubert too, by the way, so that he doesn’t accidentally incite  _ another _ war.”

“So that makes… you,  _ Hubert _ , Hilda, and the twins. Great. Can’t see this going wrong at all in the future.”

Leaning against the wall at his side, Edelgard crossed her arms. “Why are you so bent on hiding this from people anyways?”

Claude fixed Edelgard with a gaze that asked  _ are you stupid _ ? She almost found the heart to be offended.

“Cyril was  _ constantly  _ talked shit about at the monastery, Edelgard. Guy was an orphan that’d never even picked up a weapon in his life against the country, forced into what was essentially slave labor for Alliance nobles, and finally taken in by the church, and people  _ still  _ think he’s suspicious. Have you  _ seen  _ Lorenz? The second people find out I’m Almyran… I don’t have time for the problems it’d cause during a  _ war _ . We need the Alliance to remain together at least until then.”

“I see. Yes, I can understand the worry for discrimination. Petra had a hard enough time…”

Claude didn’t want to point out the fact that, despite Petra being a hostage, the people of Fódlan weren’t necessarily rude to her like they were to Shamir, Dedue, and Cyril. How they  _ would  _ be to him, if they knew.

“Regardless, Claude, you have not told me the answer to my original question. What are you thinking upon so heavily that you can’t even  _ attempt  _ a mask? It’s unlike you.”

“When did you decide to get so chummy?” he bit back, though truly there was no heat to his words. “C’mon, you know exactly why I’m so… like  _ this _ . Teach could sleep for another five years, or  _ more _ , because of choices I made. I already almost lost her to time once, the idea that it could happen  _ again _ …”

“I’m only going to say this once,” Edelgard warned, lavender eyes sharp, “but it isn’t your fault. Before you got poisoned, the twins pulsed. This is still a better reality than the one in which we all  _ perished _ . Or what if, instead, the Kingdom soldiers hadn’t rioted at all? You had no choice in their rebellion. There are an infinite amount of possibilities, so to take the blame for the result of what actually happened is, frankly, ridiculous.”

In response, Claude only palmed at his eyes, a deep sigh escaping.

“It’s just - it’s  _ wrong _ . It’s wrong, and no matter what, I’m  _ stupid _ , I’m an  _ idiot  _ because I let… I let it get that bad, and I  _ love her _ , I’d rather take the permanent damage to my health or whatever nonsense Marianne and the others keep praising me for resisting than to see her like this for even a second more. I don’t even  _ know  _ why I love her when that’s a fruitless endeavor - she’s  _ way _ above me, Edelgard, that’s clear as day. I don’t deserve her kindness like this.”

Huffing, Edelgard tried not to reach out and slap him. A hard-won battle, to be true. “That’s funny. You see, after you had a  _ seizure _ , she said much the same thing. That she loves you - enough that she was more than willing to risk her health by pushing the powers she had left.”

“Edelgard…”

“She kissed your face, Claude, more than she ever had to. She said that she would sleep for a millenia if it meant you lived. Tell me: do you think, then, it would be kinder to take the love she has offered and push it aside simply because you do not believe you are good enough, not because you don’t love her in return? Claude, is there  _ anyone  _ you believe could deserve her? I already know where her brother stands on such a topic.”

He couldn’t meet her eyes. He’d look anywhere else, but not at Edelgard. Weak excuses grabbed ahold of him, even though he knew each was flimsier than paper.

“She would do that for any one of her students, Edelgard. It’s who… it’s who she is, isn’t it? Even if it doesn’t show on her face, she loves every one of us deeply. You know she’s terrible when it comes to the concept of flirting - she’d, she’d kiss anyone on the forehead to show she cared, especially if they weren’t at their best. I know the Prof wasn’t the same, but By would hug us and hold us and tend to each and every one of us  _ personally _ if we were hurt physically or otherwise.”

“Not quite,” Edelgard scolded, not having any of this bullshit, “just like Byleth, when one of you would get injured on missions she would care, yes, but she was professional. You know that it takes a  _ lot  _ to move the twins to tears for grief. If any of your peers had been in your stead, she would have calmly and collectively tended to them as best she could without allowing her fear show. Haven’t you  _ ever  _ noticed it isn’t the same when it comes to you? She  _ cried _ for you, Claude. More than once during this horrible excursion alone. Had it been Lorenz, or Leonie, or Felix, do you think she would have been so tender? That she would have spent her limited tears? Don’t you remember her  _ yelling _ ?”

The awful reminder sent her usually serious, soothing voice into a shout at the back of his mind, loud enough he could practically taste her anguish.

_ “ _ **_I would be devastated!_ ** _ You are that important to  _ **_me_ ** _!” _

“You can’t run from the truth of your feelings by throwing your life away in this war. Now you must know that every time you try to, she will jump into the void right after you in hopes of bringing you back.”

They fell into silence, then, Claude still determinedly not looking at her, Edelgard herself looking on with a level gaze. Byleth had not spent so much of his free time at the academy arranging perfect bouquets under his sister’s name for this outcome. No matter how obvious they were in their wants and wishes, it appeared that Claude and the younger Byleth would always hesitate and end up a step behind.

When footsteps entered the quiet hall, Claude forced himself not to perk up. Just like always, it was likely Manuela coming to give everyone the update of  _ no news, no change _ . Then he’d have to fall apart in his resolve like he did every day, slipping into the room to watch as Byleth slept, her brother constantly at her bedside, praying, for once, to a goddess he didn’t believe in, that she would wake up.

He didn’t notice that the footsteps were of boots, not heels. He didn’t see Edelgard look over in surprise, nor the smile on her face. He only glanced up when Edelgard spoke again, surprise coloring her tone.

“What in the world are you doing  _ up _ ? How did you get past your brother!”

There, still practically swamped in a blanket, was a very sleepy looking Byleth Eisner. Though she rubbed at her eye in an admittedly cute way, her green gaze was as alert as it could be and honed in on the leader of the Alliance.

“He was… mm… sleeping, in a chair… didn’t wake up… but he’s okay, you… you’re all… you’re all  _ okay _ …”

All at once, a spectrum of emotions fluttered over her face, pain and fear and grief slowly overcome with a bright  _ joy  _ that was present in the way her irises shined with light.

The blinding happiness was quickly hidden as Byleth surged forward, blanket all but abandoned to clutch as Claude’s front, face buried against his chest.

She was still cold to the touch, Claude noticed, but there was no way to escape this hold. He didn’t particularly…  _ want _ to, for that matter, so he was thankful when Edelgard bent down to grab the cover, draping it back over Byleth’s shoulders securely. With a knowing look to Claude, she took her cue to leave them both, likely to wake up her sleeping beloved and tell him the news.

And, perhaps, hold him back for a few moments, if only so these two could sort themselves out.

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” came the whisper against his tunic, “I woke up, and I… I didn’t know what had happened, if I had truly done something to benefit you, or… or if you had, had…”

Without thinking, Claude found himself raising an arm to secure her around her waist, keeping her close, as his other hand came up to brush her hair behind her ear.

“Please, don’t do that again, I couldn’t  _ bear  _ the idea that you could have… If you died, Claude, I would have died  _ with you _ , so never do it again, that’s… that’s an order, from your, your professor, do you understand? I was so  _ scared _ for you-”

“Hey, By? Byleth.”

She looked up, brows furrowed but luckily nowhere near tears. Claude’s breath caught in his throat - she really did only ever become close to hysterical when it came to him, didn’t she.

Gentle, he cupped her face with his hand, feeling his heart tighten painfully when she practically nuzzled into his palm, the warm brown surface large and sturdy against her, enough that she considered it for a moment as a very good pillow, perhaps. Her cheek was cold, still, a good enough reason to keep his hand there, even though he knew he didn’t need one. And her eyes, the way they peered up at him, tired from sleep but still so bright from her poorly hidden emotions… 

Deep breaths, Claude.

“I promise, By. I promise it won’t happen again.”

He barely had any time to appreciate the smile she started to give before he dissolved it into a kiss, still holding her face close to him, finding that he, too, was grinning into it.

It wasn’t soft, tentative, like the pecks she gave upon his breast when he knew she thought him asleep. It wasn’t secret, near timid, like the ones he’d give her crown when he  _ knew  _ she was asleep. It was full, and eager, and this time they  _ both _ had a part in it-

“ _ Sister _ !”

Byleth pulled back sharply at the sound of her brother’s voice, seeing him practically run around the corner, face a mix of relief and concern. Edelgard was several paces behind him, head wearily in her hands, unable to slow him down in the slightest.

“How are you feeling?” he shot out in his next breath, no comments to be made about her proximity to Claude.

And Sothis above, Claude could have sworn she glanced back up at him before turning to answer her brother;

“Warm.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's a wrap! i hope you enjoyed, especially if you've made it this far. please leave kudos and reviews <3


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